A US Navy plane has been spotted circling near a part of Mexico’s coast after President Donald Trump threatened military action against the country. The P-8 Poseidon was detected on flight tracking websites conductin surveillance and reconnaisance missions off Tijuana – just south of California.
It launched from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington, flying over Oregon and California. It then looped several times off the coast of Mexico and Southern California before returning to base. The P-8 has been used to monitor suspicious ships and movements in the ocean as it’s equipped with with sensors that can detect targets on the surface and underwater.
It flew off the Southern Californian coast towards Baja and Ensenada, over territorial waters and exclusive economic zones near San Diego and Tijuana, stretching roughly 352 miles west into the Pacific Ocean.
It’s not yet known whether the flight is linked to Mr Trump’s recent comments on Mexico, warning them against drug trafficking.
The US president suggested military action similar to that in Venezuela could be possible if the Mexican government does not stamp out drug cartels.
He said: « The cartels are running Mexico, whether you like it or not. It’s not nice to say, but the cartels are running Mexico. »
In November, Mr Trump ordered Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to clamp down on drug activity in the country or potentially face US military intervention.
He said: « Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It’s OK with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs. I didn’t say I’m doing it, but I’d be proud to do it. Because we’re going to save millions of lives by doing it. »
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