REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The Biden administration downed a high altitude “object” hovering at 40,000 feet over Alaska on Friday, the White House National Security Council announced Friday.
President Joe Biden ordered it to be shot down, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said Friday afternoon. The “predominant concern by the president was the safety of flight issue at that altitude,” as it could’ve “posed a threat to civilian aircraft,” Kirby said. It was shot down within the last hour, he added.
The takedown comes as the Biden administration is facing increasing pressure from lawmakers to secure American skies from potential foreign threats and surveillance. The latest incident comes just days after the Biden administration shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.