WASHINGTON (AFP) A day after his spare plane sparked panic and outrage when it buzzed lower Manhattan for a photo shoot, US President Barack Obama apologized Tuesday for what he called a "mistake" that won't be repeated.
The search for the perfect picture beside famous New York landmarks backfired Monday as frightened office workers fled their buildings in fear of a new 9/11 and triggered an angry outburst from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said he had not been warned about the mission.
"It was a mistake, as was stated ... and it will not happen again," Obama told reporters at the Federal Bureau of Investigation before talks with FBI director Robert Mueller.
The White House military office apologized late Monday after the 30-minute incident in which the customized presidential Boeing 747 -- accompanied by two military fighter jets -- buzzed the island of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in the Hudson River.
AFP: Obama: New York flyover a 'mistake'