Washington--An anti-corruption protester piloted his mini helicopter through Washington's no-fly zone Wednesday and illegally landed it on the US Capitol lawn, triggering a national security scare, startling tourists and prompting a police probe.
"The US Capitol Police continues to investigate, with one person detained and temporary street closures in the immediate area," USCP officer Shennell Antrobus told AFP.
The arrested pilot, according to the Tampa Bay Times who had interviewed and filmed him prior to his audacious flight, is a Florida man who was conducting civil disobedience -- in this case a demand for campaign finance reform.
Air space is severely restricted around Washington landmarks including the White House and the Capitol, which houses the US Congress whose 535 lawmakers were in session at the time.
A bomb squad inspected the so-called gyrocopter, which landed a few hundred yards (meters) from the Capitol, but found nothing hazardous.
Authorities reportedly put the building on temporary lockdown although it was not evacuated. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was in the Capitol at the time for a meeting with senators.
Witness Rachel Jackman expressed alarm about the surprise incident. "Within minutes, the entire area was shut down. I mean, there were probably 30 or 40 of the Capitol police there, cars, some black SUVs as well," she told CNN.
The breach, during a high-volume tourist season, was the second major air security scare this year in the capital city.
In January, an intelligence agency employee lost control of a hobby drone and crashed it into the White House gardens, sparking a Secret Service investigation.
President Barack Obama was briefed about Wednesday's incident, the White House said.
Air defense command NORAD tweeted that it was "not involved with today's incident," suggesting the FAA did not contact it for assistance in responding to the gyrocopter breech.
The Times identified Wednesday's pilot as Doug Hughes, 61.
AFP
