US F-16 forces down plane near Obama’s Florida vacation site

A US F-16 warplane and a military helicopter have forced down a small aircraft over the eastern coast of Florida, where President Barack Obama was vacationing with friends.

The small Cessna 152 private plane was intercepted Saturday morning by an F-16 jetfighter and a US Coast Guard helicopter and escorted away from “a temporary restricted flight zone” near the site where Obama was vacationing, US Army Lt. Col. Mike Humphreys was quoted as saying in local press reports.

No further information was released about the Cessna 152 aircraft that entered the restricted zone while Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials announced in a statement that the incident, and whether the small plane entered the area over Florida’s Treasure Coast, is under probe.

News reports have cited a description of temporary flight restrictions on the FAA’s website as saying that the section of Florida airspace will be closed until Monday for “VIP Movement.”

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporter on Friday that Obama was looking forward to spending the President’s Day holiday weekend with ‘a group of friends’ in Florida.

“I’m sure they’ll take advantage of the opportunity to play some golf,” Earnest said.