The United States military shot down additional unidentified flying objects over North America this weekend, bringing the tally to four aerial objects downed over the U.S. and Canada this month — including the suspectedChinese spy balloon.
On Sunday afternoon, an F-16 aircraft successfullyshot down an unidentified airborne objectflying at approximately 20,000 feet in the airspace over Lake Huron in Michigan, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced in a news release.
Detailing that the “path and altitude” of the object “raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation,” the DOD said they were given the go-ahead to remove it from the air through direction from PresidentJoe Bidenand based on the recommendations from both Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and military leadership.
“The location chosen for this shoot down afforded us the opportunity to avoid impact to people on the ground while improving chances for debris recovery,” the DOD said in its news release. “There are no indications of any civilians hurt or otherwise affected.”
Lake Huron, where the fourth unidentified aerial object spotted over North America in February was downed.Getty Images/iStockphoto
The organization added that it “did not assess [the unidentified object] to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground,” but that it was rather “a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities.”
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Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmeradded in her own social media statement she’sbeen in contact with the federal governmentafter the object’s takedown.
“Our national security and safety is always a top priority. I’ve been in contact with the federal government and our partners who were tracking an object near our airspace. I’m glad to report it has been swiftly, safely, and securely taken down,” she tweeted. “The @MINationalGuard stands ready.”
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Sunday’s event marked the third time an unidentified object was shot down over North American airspace in three days — and the fourth overall this month.
Previously on Saturday, anunidentified object was shot downover Canada, and on Friday, another was shot down in Alaska airspace, CBS News reported.
A defense official said at a media briefing Sunday, per NBC News, that there was “no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activitywith these recent takedowns.”
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Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), would not rule the option out when he was asked about the objects being connected to extraterrestrials.
“I’ll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out,” he said, per the outlet.
source: people.com
