Unidentified drones disrupt the skies of the northeastern United States this weekend, prompting federal authorities to reaffirm that no criminal or foreign activity has been established, while President-elect Donald Trump s is invited into the controversy, suggesting that they be shot down.
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“ This goes too far “, lamented Kathy Hochul, the Democratic governor of New York State, the fourth most populous in the United States, pointing out in a press release on Saturday that the runways of a small airport in the region had to close the day before at evening for an hour due to the appearance of “ new drones “. Contacted by AFP, the New York airport authority confirmed this brief closure, which had no consequences on flights.
For several weeks, residents of the New York and New Jersey area report drone flights in the sky, a phenomenon which fuels concern, especially since local and national authorities have not provided an answer to its origin.
President-elect Donald Trump joins the controversy
Videos of light devices flying in the sky have now invaded social networks and local elected officials are criticizing the Biden administration for its supposed inaction. Some elected officials, like Republican Representative in the House of Congress Chris Smith, have raised the threat of a foreign state like Russia or China, without any evidence to support it.
On Friday, the president-elect of the United States Donald Trump was in turn invited into the controversy. “ Mysterious drone sightings across the country. Can this really happen without our government knowing? I don’t think so! The public needs to know this, and right away. Otherwise, shoot them!!! “, he wrote in a message on his Truth Social network.
While criticizing national authorities for their lack of response, the sheriff of Monmouth County, New Jersey, called on the public not to shoot at drones.
No evidence of criminal activity or emanating from a foreign power
Representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security and the United States Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA) reiterated that no evidence, at this stage of their investigations, indicates criminal activity or emanating from a foreign power.
An FAA representative recalled that he was “not not illegal to fly drones in US airspace “, while that of the FBI estimated their number in the United States at ” nearly a million registered, so there’s no doubt that drones are flying over the state of New Jersey “.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said from the White House on Thursday that “ many of the reported sightings are actually of piloted aircraft operating legally “.
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