A plane belonging to the Department of Homeland Security flew for hours in the sky over downtown Portland Wednesday night in what may be a surveillance operation, according to the Washington Examiner’s search of flight data. The small plane, a Beechcraft Super King Air 350, departed from Bellingham International Airport in northwest Washington state and went several hundred miles south to Portland then flew in circles at 10,000 feet over the northwestern side of the city for nearly three hours before landing at Portland International Airport, according to flight records. It took off again an hour later, flying again around downtown then returned to Bellingham shortly before 2 a.m. local time. DHS did not respond to a request for comment on the operation. DHS has not revealed how it used the plane, including to track users’ cellphone data or people suspected of attacking federal police. DHS’s Customs and Border Protection agency has used drones and helicopters to watch protesters demonstrating in cities across the country in the weeks following the death of George Floyd in police custody.
via washingtonexaminer: DHS plane covertly surveilled Portland amid riots