Sonic Boom Startles French Town as Fighter Jet Intercepts Unresponsive Moroccan Plane

Last Thursday, in the Compiègne region, a huge noise at night, and a few tremors, made the residents believe in an explosion in a factory. Via social networks, many Internet users were concerned. But it was nothing. It was actually a Rafale taking off to catch up with a tourist plane coming from Morocco and heading to Belgium. Not responding, and therefore becoming "suspicious", the French Army sent a fighter jet to the scene.

A resident of Thourotte told Franceinfo: "I heard a big boom, my house shook." Seeing a panic set in, the prefecture of Oise clarified shortly after the event, through Twitter: "A loud detonation was heard in the eastern part of #Oise around 9:55 p.m. A military aircraft broke the sound barrier at that time. Thank you for not spreading false information."

Then it was the turn of the Minister of the Armed Forces to provide the details: "On the evening of Thursday, February 7 around 9:40 p.m. local time, an aircraft from Morocco and bound for Belgium lost radio contact with French air traffic controllers. In order to dispel doubts about its behavior, and as part of its permanent mission to secure national airspace, the air force took off one of its aircraft on H24 - 7/7 alert."

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces also specifies that the Rafale took off from the Saint-Dizier air base to break the sound barrier around 9:55 p.m. at an altitude of 13,000 meters.