White House intruder in the net

WASHINGTON: The pilot of a small plane that triggered a security alert by entering restricted airspace near the White House and Capitol Hill has been taken into custody.

The White House and Capitol Hill had to be evacuated briefly after the pilot of the Cessna ignored commands and flew into the high-security airspace.

A fighter aircraft of the US air force intercepted the intruding plane. The pilot was taken into custody by the Maryland police on landing.

A White House official said a red alert was sounded and people in several other government buildings, including the treasury department and the supreme court, too were ordered to leave offices. But within minutes, the US secret service gave an all clear signal, allowing staff to return to work.

On April 27, Bush went to an underground shelter and Vice President Dick Cheney had been taken to a secure location after security officials received a false alarm that an unidentified aircraft had entered the restricted space near the White House.