US army shoots down another flying object – background unclear EU Qatar gate: Italian MP under house arrest

This was announced by the US Department of Defense in Washington. President Joe Biden gave the order to shoot it down. The object was located at an altitude of about six kilometers. Its trajectory and height raised concerns that the object could pose a threat to civil aviation. Potential surveillance options for the property would also have posed a risk.

The Pentagon initially gave no information about where the missile came from and what it was aiming at. Mysterious flying objects over North America have puzzled the United States and the world for days.

An F-16 fighter jet took down the flying object, the Pentagon said. The launch above the lake made it possible to avoid impact on people on the ground while increasing the chances of recovering debris. The North American Air Defense Command Norad discovered the flying object Sunday morning and tracked it visually and with radar. The remains must now be recovered to learn more.

US fighter jets had already shot down two unidentified flying objects on Friday and Saturday: one off the coast of Alaska, the other over northern Canada. So far it is unclear what kind of objects they were, where they came from and what their purpose was. In these cases, the disposal of rubble must also provide information about the background.

A week earlier, the US Air Force had downed a Chinese balloon suspected of espionage off the coast of South Carolina. It was initially unclear whether there could be a connection between the incidents.

The US government accuses China of using the observation balloon to spy on military installations. Beijing, on the other hand, spoke of a civilian research balloon that had gone off course and described the launch as an “overreaction”. The incident added further tension to the already strained relationship between the two countries – also as the US accuses China of conducting a major international surveillance program involving balloons of this type, attacking more than 40 countries on five continents.

According to official information, the flying objects were traveling over Alaska and Canada at an altitude of about eight miles. Both would have been unmanned and had a “cylindrical shape”. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told ABC on Sunday, citing the National Security Council, that the two objects shot down Friday and Saturday are believed to be balloons, “but much smaller than the first,” that came from China .

On Sunday, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily closed part of the airspace over Lake Michigan, which borders Lake Huron. Its purpose was to ensure safety during a Norad mission, it said.

A temporary closure of the airspace over the US state of Montana only caused a stir on Saturday. The background was a “radar anomaly,” Norad later announced. Fighter planes were sent to investigate. However, they were unable to identify an object that could be associated with the radar hits.

Looking at the downed object in Michigan, the Pentagon said its trajectory and data could link it to the radar signal picked up over Montana flying near sensitive defense installations.

The fact that the US military had to use force to take down flying objects from the sky for the fourth time in a few days is causing increasing concern. Michigan Republican Congressman Jack Bergmann wrote on Twitter, “I applaud the decisive action of our fighter pilots.” At the same time, he warned, “The American people deserve answers far more than we do.”

The lack of reliable information about the origin and background of the flying objects leaves room for all sorts of conjecture. Democrat MP Jim Himes told NBC on Sunday that there was wild speculation on social media about an alien invasion or further actions by the Chinese. That’s not handy. Himes also demanded that more information was urgently needed. (sda/dpa)