Pentagon shoots down Customs and Border Protection drone in Texas, federal officials say

The Defense Department on Wednesday shot down a U.S. Customs and Border Protection drone in southwest Texas, federal officials confirmed. Kerry Breen, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Jennifer Jacobs, Kris Van Cleave and Eleanor Watson contributed to this report. In:

The Defense Department on Wednesday shot down a U.S. Customs and Border Protection drone in southwest Texas, federal officials confirmed.

A U.S. official said a laser weapon was used to down the drone, which occurred in the area of Fort Hancock, a small community located on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"This reported engagement occurred when the Department of War employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace," the Defense Department, CBP and the FAA said in a joint statement late Thursday night. The Department of War is the White House's preferred term for the Defense Department. "The engagement took place far away from populated areas and there were no commercial aircraft in the vicinity."

In a previous statement provided to CBS News Thursday night, the FAA indicated that an incident had prompted it to expand a temporary flight restriction that was already in place around Fort Hancock.

"A temporary flight restriction (TFR) was already in place around the Fort Hancock area," the FAA said. "The TFR has been expanded to include a greater radius to ensure safety." The TFR was issued for "Special Security Reasons," the FAA said.