US President Joe Biden has ordered a “high-flying object” shot down over the US state of Alaska. “It flew at an altitude of 12 kilometers and thus posed a threat to civil aviation,” the statement read.
It is not yet clear what the issue was, the White House said. The object was much smaller than the huge Chinese balloon that was recently brought down and that the Americans say was used by the Chinese for spying.
Spokesman John Kirby compared the size to “a small car”. Examination of the debris should bring more clarity. The fighter plane received the green light to fire over a sparsely populated area. The Americans expect to find the foreign object in American waters.
Beijing previously denied the espionage claim, claiming it was a drifted weather balloon. Shooting the balloon was an overreaction.
Critics then felt that Biden hesitated too long to bring down the Chinese balloon. However, the White House stressed that debris could have posed a danger to the population. The balloon was therefore only shot out of the air above the sea.
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