Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Busting Airspace: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano Discuss Air Scare and Homeland Security Issues.

Oct. 11, 2011
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Two F-16 fighter aircraft under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a general aviation aircraft as it entered restricted airspace in the vicinity of the National Capital Region today at approximately 6:30 P.M. MDT. The civilian aircraft, which was out of communications, was intercepted and escorted out of the area. The aircraft landed at Baltimore International Airport, MD, without incident. The pilot was to be met by local authorities.



COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) — Another security scare when fighter jets intercept a plane and force it to land in Baltimore. The aircraft had flown into restricted airspace above our nation’s capital. Weijia Jiang explains what happened.  At 6:30 p.m. Monday, a civilian plane entered restricted airspace above Washington DC.  “Although 9/11 happened 10 years ago, it’s first and foremost in our minds and it’s scary,” said Lori Tramont.  The Air Force scrambled to send two fighter jets to escort the plane out of the area, forcing a landing at BWI Thurgood Marshall. Authorities describe it as a general aviation aircraft that was out of communications.

“If you are a trained pilot, that shouldn’t be happening,” said Donna Nicholson.  Less than 24 hours after that, federal and state security came to the University of Maryland to have an intimate discussion about the incident and ways to keep the country safe.  “Homeland security really has to begin with hometown security,” said US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.  Napolitano and Governor Martin O’Malley led a forum about terrorism since 9/11, pointing to how critical communication is to deal with incidents like the one at BWI. They also addressed concerns about homegrown attacks.  “The lone actor is a very difficult law enforcement thing to prevent. Let’s not minimize the problem. It’s real, it’s difficult and we struggle with it every day,” Napolitano said.

Just last month, WJZ uncovered chilling new details about Antonio Martinez, a Marylander accused of trying to detonate an SUV full of explosives at a military recruiting center in Catonsville. He told informants all he thinks about is jihad.  “The information sharing has improved. Our ability to respond quickly has improved,” O’Malley said.  The FAA has not released the name of the pilot.

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