US shot down ‘high-altitude object’ over Alaska, White House says
- President Biden issued order ‘out of an abundance of caution’, says National Security Council spokesman John Kirby
- US does not know who owns the object, which was flying at 40,000 feet and posed ‘reasonable threat’ to safety of civilian flights, Kirby adds
The North American Aerospace Command, also known as Norad, had been tracking that object since Thursday, according to the Pentagon.
“Fighter aircraft assigned to the US Northern Command took down the object,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing. The Pentagon said an F-22 shot down the object at 1.45pm Eastern Standard Time.
Kirby said the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,000 metres) over Alaska and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flight.
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“Out of an abundance of caution at the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object and they did,” Kirby said.
