‘Object’ downed over Canada was small metallic balloon with payload, Pentagon memo says
Memo says ‘recovery/exploitation’ efforts underway to retrieve ‘object’ shot down in Yukon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The unidentified object shot down over Canada on Saturday was a metallic balloon with a payload, according to a memo sent by the Pentagon.
This comes as intrigue has grown over some “objects”, as officials have come to call them, that were shot down after being spotted flying over US and Canadian airspace.
The intrigue over the objects came after the US identified a Chinese balloon it said was used for surveillance and shot it down off the South Carolina coast.
Subsequently, three other “objects” were identified across US and Canadian airspace and downed over the weekend.
An “object” was shot down near Deadhorse, Alaska on Friday, while another one was destroyed over the Yukon on Saturday. On Sunday, the US shot down what it called an octagonal object flying Lake Huron in the Great Lakes region.
The “object” downed in Canadian airspace on Saturday, however, appeared to be a “small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it,” reported CNN, citing the Pentagon memo sent to lawmakers on Monday.
It had was previously described as a “cylindrical object” that crossed near “US sensitive sites” before being downed, reported the news network.
The object shot down over Lake Huron in Michigan on Sunday “subsequently slowly descended” into the water after impact, according to defence officials writing the memo.
It added that “recovery/exploitation” efforts were underway to retrieve the object shot down in Yukon.
It said officials in US and Canada are attempting to identify debris.
The memo stated that the FBI is embedded with Canadian officials who are leading the investigation.
“It should not be assumed that the events of the past few days are connected,” said the memo.
On Monday, Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau claimed there appeared to be “some sort of a pattern” with the downing of the “objects”.
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday, however, that there was no reason yet to believe the three flying “objects” were in any way connected to the Chinese “spy” balloon shot down by the US on 4 February.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments