The US military shot down a large Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, the Pentagon confirmed. American intelligence officials say that the balloon had been spying on US military sites across the country.
The Department of Defence confirmed that a missile fired by one of its fighter jets brought the balloon down over its territorial waters.
Just shot at it! View from my house in Myrtle. pic.twitter.com/85EZ3EDbYq
— Ashlyn Preaux for SC 61 (@ashlynforsc) February 4, 2023
China has acknowledged that the balloon is of Chinese origin, but denied that the device had been used for intelligence gathering. The Chinese foreign ministry has complained of “strong dissatisfaction and protest against the US’s use of force to attack civilian unmanned aircraft.”
Footage captured on social media appeared to show the balloon exploding and falling to the sea. The device was intercepted by a US F-22 jet fighter and the debris fell around 10 kilometres off the US coast. US officials had initially been reluctant to shoot down the balloon due to fears that debris would cause damage below.
The military is now attempting to recover debris from the balloon, which they said is spread over an 11 kilometre area.
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The balloon sighting over the US has sparked a diplomatic crisis, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelling his upcoming trip to China this weekend, deeming the incursion an “irresponsible act.”
On Saturday, the Colombian air force confirmed that a second suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Latin America.
