The United States has shot down the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic, the Associated Press reports.
The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
President Joe Biden had told reporters earlier Saturday that “we’re going to take care of it,” when asked about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean.
Moment the #ChineseSpyBalloon was shot down. #Balloon pic.twitter.com/H9skbByLUs
— Michael Steinberg (@MichaelWX18) February 4, 2023
But why wasn’t the balloon taken out the minute it crossed into U.S. airspace?
The balloon is the size of three school buses, so it’s not like we missed it entering U.S. territory. But as is becoming clear, the Pentagon saw an opportunity to gather intel on the Chinese. A lot can apparently be learned just by observing the balloon. It’s also probable that we are intercepting whatever the balloon is transmitting back to China.
It now seems likely that intelligence agencies were waiting to shoot it down over open water to limit the number of prying eyes and allow our own classified gear to be used.
More on this breaking story as news becomes available.
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