US Air Force F-16
US Air Force F-16
US Air Force
  • US Air Force F-16s intercepted a non-responsive aircraft flying near a rally President Donald Trump held Wednesday afternoon in Arizona.
  • The plane ignored initial intercept procedures, North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement, but it established radio contact when they deployed signal flares.
  • When Trump saw the incident, he pointed at the sky and said, “Look at that. They gave the president a little display.”
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

US Air Force F-16 fighter jets intercepted an unresponsive aircraft flying in restricted airspace near a Trump rally in Bullhead, Arizona Wednesday afternoon, North American Aerospace Defense Command said.

“NORAD F-16 aircraft investigated a general aviation aircraft that was not in communication with ATC and entered the Temporary Flight Restriction area surrounding Bullhead City, AZ without proper clearance,” the command said in a statement.

NORAD added that the aircraft did not initially respond to intercept procedures. It made radio contact though when the F-16s popped flares. The NORAD F-16s then escorted the plane out of the area.

A NORAD spokesman told Insider that the airspace the plane flew into was restricted because of President Donald Trump’s campaign rally.

Part of the incident was caught on video by C-SPAN, which was covering the rally.

"Oh, look at that. Look, look, look," Trump said, pointing at the sky. "Look at that. They gave the president a little display." The crowd then chanted "USA, USA, USA!"

Trump, according to the Associated Press, told the crowd it was a fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. He then asked rhetorically, "You know how hard it is to get Democrats to pay for that?"

Read the original article on Business Insider