Drones latest: FBI addresses mystery lights over East Coast as public warned not to shoot them down
Federal agencies come together to address unidentified flying objects amid growing concern
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Your support makes all the difference.The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) have released a joint statement on the spate of drone sightings over the East Coast states of New Jersey and New York in recent weeks, bowing to growing public demands for an explanation.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the federal agencies said.
“We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
The FBI office in Newark has meanwhile moved to caution the public against trying to shoot down the unmanned devices, warning they could injure themselves.
Officials have been under pressure to account for the sightings and accused of making matters worse by declining to come clean.
On Tuesday, members of the the House Intelligence Committee are expected to receive a classified briefing on the mystery.
Mystery drones are not Iranian, Chinese – or Martian – says intelligence committee member
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden admin is ‘in control of drones’ as MAGAworld pushes wild theories about mystery sightings
New York governor demands Biden action on mystery drones after airfield shut down: ‘This has gone too far’
ICYMI: Minnesota Senator calls for greater transparency from feds over drone sightings
Minnesota Senator calls for greater transparency from feds over drone sightings
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar called for increased transparency from federal officials on the mystery drone sightings across several states.
“One, we need a briefing for the members of the Senate to figure out what’s going on here,” Klobuchar told CBS News. “Two, we need more transparency.”
Members of the lower Congressional chamber are reportedly frustrated, too.
Democratic Representative Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News lawmakers are calling for more information.
“There are a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” Himes said. “The answer ‘we don’t know’ is not a good enough answer when people are anxious, when they are nervous, and this has been true since we’ve been a species on this planet.”
Mapped: All the locations of mass drone sightings in the last week
Residents of New Jersey were confused and worried when a group of mysterious drones began to be seen flying in the skies above the state starting late last month. Now residents in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida, California and other states are experiencing the same thing.
Mapped: All the locations of mass drone sightings in the last week
Officials have no explanation for where the drones are coming from or what their purpose is
Watch: Possible drones spotted over Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
Are fake aliens flying over New Jersey to ‘steal Trump’s swagger?’ One MAGA podcaster is worried
Right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson reacted to the mysterious drones appearing over New Jersey in recent weeks by wondering if they were part of a “fake alien invasion” being staged to “steal Trump’s swagger.”
Beginning late last month, large drones — some as large as six feet in diameter — have been seen nightly across New Jersey from dusk until nearly midnight. According to the state lawmakers briefed on the matter this week, the sightings have ranged from four to 180 per night.
Read more:
Are fake aliens flying over NJ to ‘steal Trump’s swagger?’ MAGA podcaster is worried
The pro-Trump YouTuber also claimed that the unknown drones were part of a “massive psyop” to “destabilize” Trump’s administration, adding that the American government has control of alien technology.
Watch: DHS secretary Mayorkas addresses drone sightings over New Jersey
In pictures: Drone sightings over New Jersey
President-elect Donald Trump says ‘something strange is going on’ with drone sightings
President-elect Donald Trump accused President Joe Biden and his administration of keeping people “in suspense” over the drones spotted in several states.
“Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense,” he said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday. “Something strange is going on and for some reason they don’t want to tell the people, and they should.”
Trump added that he did not want to comment on whether he received an intelligence briefing on the drones.
New Jersey mayor says ‘something’s going on’ with drones
Washington Township Mayor Matthew Murello told Good Morning America “something’s going on” with the drones spotted in his state.
“I’m not trying to stir anything up, but we all know -- if you just turn on the television -- that drones can be used in an aggressive fashion,” Murello said on Monday. “They can carry payloads. They can be used for all kinds of really aggressive-type things.”
Murello expressed frustration at federal officials for not revealing more information.
“Nobody knows what these things are doing,” he said. “Best case scenario, they’re just getting video of us. Again, I don’t know why out here. We’re nothing but farm country. If you want videos of cows, I’ll be happy to send you some.”
He isn’t alone. Democratic Representative Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News over the weekend he’s frustrated with the current lack of information.
“There are a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” Himes said. “The answer ‘we don’t know’ is not a good enough answer when people are anxious, when they are nervous, and this has been true since we’ve been a species on this planet.”
ICYMI: White House sees ‘no evidence’ of threat from drones and says ‘many’ sightings were of ‘manned aircraft’
The White House is knocking down claims that New Jersey’s airspace has been invaded by drones controlled by hostile nations and says many of the aircraft sightings that have been cited to support such assertions are actually normal piloted airplanes.
Read more:
White House sees ‘no evidence’ of threat from drones seen over New Jersey
National Security Council spokesperson says there’s ‘no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus’
Full story: Two arrested over Boston airport incident while Ohio military base forced to shut airspace
Two men were arrested for operating a drone “dangerously close” to a Boston airport while a critical Ohio Air Force base was forced to shut its airspace as investigations continue into reports of hundreds of flying objects sighted over the US.
Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, both of Massachusetts, were arrested and charged with trespassing on Saturday evening after their unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was detected above Logan International Airport, according to the Boston Police Department.
Read more:
Two arrested for Boston airport drone incident as Ohio military base shuts airspace
The incidents come after the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said there is ‘no evidence’ the drone sightings pose a national security threat
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