Drones latest: Pentagon claims East Coast objects are not military as Congress gets briefing on mysterious origins
Federal agencies come together to address unidentified flying objects amid growing concern
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Your support makes all the difference.Federal officials continue to insist there is no threat to national security or public safety following the recent spate of drone sightings over New Jersey and New York, and amid growing public demands for an explanation.
“Completely understand the concerns, completely will reinforce we’re taking it seriously,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday at an afternoon news conference. Ryder spoke as lawmakers attended a classified House Intelligence Committee briefing on the matter.
The drones are not assets from the Department of Defense, he noted.
Ryder’s remarks come after White House national security communications adviser John Kirby assured that drone activity along the East Coast was “lawful” and “legal.”
Earlier in the day the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) released a joint statement on the issue, saying they had not “identified anything anomalous.”
“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.
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New York governor demands Biden action on mystery drones after airfield shut down: ‘This has gone too far’
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. House Intelligence Committee members will receive a classified briefing on the matter Tuesday, CNN reports.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden admin is ‘in control of drones’ as MAGAworld pushes wild theories about mystery sightings
MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that the US government is “in control of the drones” that have been spotted over New Jersey and New York in recent weeks, which officials have so far been unable or unwilling to account for.
Greene, who is well known for amplifying online conspiracy theories, wrote on X late on Saturday night: “The government is in control of the drones and refuses to tell the American people what is going on. It really is that bad.”
The congresswoman offered no evidence to support her claim but followed up with a second post, which went viral when it was shared by podcaster Joe Rogan, featuring a video from drone manufacturer John Ferguson.
Read more:
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden administration is ‘in control’ of mystery drones
Steve Bannon also blamed Joe Biden for the unidentified flying objects, claiming they are evidence of his administration ‘working against’ the incoming Trump administration
ICYMI: Many drone spottings could be cases of ‘mistaken identity,’ officials say
Some of the drone spottings across several states in the US could be cases of “mistaken identity,” with residents unknowingly reporting legally-operated small aircraft, DHS and FBI officials have said.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said some drones could be commercial.
The FBI has received some 5,000 tips regarding drone activity, but fewer than 100 were “deemed worthy of further investigative activity.” an agency spokesperson said over the weekend.
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
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.
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