U.S. shoots down ‘high-altitude’ object over Alaska

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby would not say if the object was a balloon like the Chinese spy balloon that flew over North America last week.

The United States shot down a “high-altitude” object as it flew over Alaska near the northern Canadian border on Friday, White House officials confirmed amid ongoing concerns over Chinese surveillance balloons flying over North America.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby would not say if the object was a balloon or what entity owned it. He said the object, about the size of a “small car,” was flying at 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat” to civilian aircraft.

President Joe Biden gave the order to shoot down the object “out of an abundance of caution” and at the Pentagon’s recommendation, Kirby added.

The incident came a week after U.S. and Canadian officials first confirmed a Chinese surveillance balloon had flown over Canada and across the continental U.S. over the course of several days. The balloon was ultimately shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.

Kirby said the object shot down Friday was “much, much smaller” than the Chinese balloon and was not carrying a “significant payload.” Efforts are underway to recover the object.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Friday, Defence Minister Anita Anand did not say Friday where the earlier balloon was when it first entered Canadian airspace, or what locations it passed over and for how long it was over Canada before heading south.

The U.S. navy and coast guard are working to recover pieces of the downed balloon for analysis and they’re working to determine if it collected any intelligence from either country, Anand said.

The balloon’s sighting has reignited tensions between the U.S. and China and raised renewed fears of foreign surveillance and interference by Beijing.