Authorities claim that on Saturday, a plane whose pilot had threatened to crash it into a Walmart store while it was circling over northern Mississippi made a safe landing. The “situation has been resolved and that no one was injured,” tweeted Gov. Tate Reeves.

He expressed gratitude to the law enforcement authorities who assisted in shooting the plane down. Around five in the morning, the plane began circling Tupelo, Mississippi, and stayed there for more than five hours.

Also read: Watch: Video of pilot threatening to crash plane into Walmart in Tupelo

The suspect was in law enforcement custody when the plane arrived, according to Benton County Sheriff Dispatcher Connie Strickland.

An earlier Facebook post by the Tupelo Police Department said that a plane had begun circling Tupelo, Mississippi, at five in the morning. More than five hours later, it was still in the air, but it had moved on from Tupelo and was now circling over a small town.

Also read: Watch: Video of pilot threatening to crash plane into Walmart in Tupelo

According to two people briefed on the situation and reported to The Associated Press, authorities believe the Beechcraft King Air C90A was stolen and are investigating whether the pilot who threatened to crash the aircraft is a worker at a nearby airfield. The inquiry includes numerous government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, who are trying to determine a motive.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration representative, the organisation is aware of the flight and is working with regional law enforcement.

Also read: Who is Corry Patterson? Man threatening to fly plane into Walmart

Soon after 8 am, law enforcement informed the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that the jet had left the Tupelo area’s airspace and was now flying close to a Toyota manufacturing facility in Blue Springs.

An internet tool for tracking flights revealed the aircraft had been flying in circles for several hours.

Also read: Tupelo flight hijack: 7 things you need to know

Several US-based news networks reported that the man who threatened to crash a plane into Tupelo Walmart on Saturday morning has been detained and charged with grand larceny and making terrorist threats. Earlier, the suspect was identified as Cory Patterson of Shannon, Mississippi.