US military laser tech and cartel drones stir airspace confusion in Texas
El Paso flights resume after conflicting reports of Mexican cartel drone incursions and uncoordinated Pentagon laser testing
For a few hours on Wednesday, the sleepy airport of El Paso, Texas, became a sudden flashpoint for confusion.
Late Tuesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a terse notice to pilots that airspace in the area would close - for an unprecedented 10 days - due to “special security reasons”. And then almost as suddenly, the FAA lifted the restrictions on Wednesday morning.
Conflicting accounts of what prompted the action in the first place quickly emerged.
Trump administration officials including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the shutdown was in response to drones operated by Mexican drug cartels that had breached US airspace. Duffy said in a social media post that the FAA and Defence Department “acted swiftly” to address the incursion, and had “neutralised” the threat.
Others with knowledge of the situation paint a different picture, one that suggests a communication breakdown between key parts of the US government.