Bidens safe after private plane enters airspace in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were briefly evacuated from their vacation home on Saturday after a small private plane mistakenly entered the restricted airspace over Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said.

The aircraft was immediately escorted out of the restricted airspace, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said. The pilot, who was not identified, would be interviewed, he said.

“A preliminary investigation reveals the pilot was not on the proper radio channel, was not following the NOTAMS (Notice to Airmen) that had been filed and was not following published flight guidance,” he said.

The incident, which occurred shortly before 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT), caused confusion in downtown Rehoboth Beach on a busy weekend, with the presidential motorcade racing through town before returning to the Bidens’ residence.

A Secret Service official said precautionary security measures were taken, but there was no significant threat to the president.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler)