U.S. forces shot down an "unidentified object" over Canadian airspace on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday.
I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023
The device was detected by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an agency formed by Canada and the U.S. It was shot down while flying over the Yukon, a territory in the northwestern part of the country bordering Alaska.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand confirmed that the unidentified object was taken down as a result of a joint effort by the U.S. and Canadian air forces.
Today, a @NORADCommand aircraft shot down an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled and a U.S. F-22 fired at the object. I discussed this with @SecDef Austin and reaffirmed that we’ll always defend our sovereignty together. https://t.co/FLKOwYMkbY
— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) February 11, 2023
The White House issued a statement mentioning an "unidentified, unmanned object in North American airspace that was tracked for 24 hours before being shot down.”
This event follows the February 4 incident in which a U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina. The object had floated over the country for several days until the Biden Administration finally took action. Shortly thereafter, on Friday, the Pentagon reported that a small unidentified object had been shot down over Alaska.
This week, the House of Representatives unanimously voted to condemn China for its interference in the wake of the first spy balloon incident. The Chinese Communist regime called Congress’ move "political manipulation." At the time, China claimed that the spy balloon was nothing more than a civilian weather object that had strayed from its trajectory. China accused the United States of "overreacting.”
The tension prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone his visit to China scheduled for last week.
Are the new objects Chinese spy balloons?
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other officials reported that new objects shot down over the weekend are believed to be surveillance balloons.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, told ABC's This Week on Sunday that national security adviser Jake Sullivan told him that the objects shot down over Canada and Alaska are believed to be surveillance balloons.
"I think the Chinese were humiliated. I think the Chinese were caught lying," Schumer told ABC.
