President Joe Biden says a series of apparent drone sightings along the US east coast is “nothing nefarious”.
the seen in recent weeks have occurred in New Jersey and several neighboring states, sometimes around air force bases. This phenomenon has given rise to a number of conspiracy theories about foreign involvement.
Authorities have not given many definitive answers, other than to say that the sightings are not always of drones and that they do not believe there is a threat to national security or a Foreign powers are at work.
Members of the US House Intelligence Committee, who met behind closed doors on Tuesday, joined Biden on Wednesday to try to reassure the public.
Among the committee members who spoke to reporters afterward was Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat.
“So far, they haven’t found anything that suggests there was foreign influence, foreign actors, or even little green people working with people,” The Hill quoted her as saying. American people”.
Another lawmaker, Connecticut Representative Jim Himes, said there was “no evidence of drones violating the law.”
He added that the “vast majority” of sightings were of ordinary aircraft or drones being operated legally.
Himes said “millions” of unregistered drones are operating across the US, in addition to 800,000 registered drones weighing more than half a pound.
In his comments to the media, Biden said: “We’re watching this closely, but so far, there’s no sense of danger.”
He emphasized that these sightings were not evidence of any wrongdoing. “There are a lot of drones that are allowed to operate there,” he said. “I think one person started it and they all – everyone wanted in on the deal.”
On Wednesday, a move to advance a federal bill that would give local law enforcement more resources to identify and neutralize drones failed in the Senate.
The bill needs unanimous consent to pass quickly. Despite support from New York Senator Chuck Schumer, it was voted down by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who was concerned about privacy.
In recent days, these sightings have led to the temporary closure of Stewart International Airport in New York and Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
Government agencies previously said they “have not identified anything unusual”. They agreed with Biden that many of the drones seen were flown legally by hobbyists and law enforcement — adding that people were also spotting “fixed-wing aircraft manned, helicopters and stars were mistakenly reported as drones.”
But there are still questions from the public. Earlier this week, New Jersey man Noel Thomas described to the BBC his experience spotting a mysterious object in the sky. He said it was the size of a school bus, rectangular with flashing lights and “definitely something I’d never seen before”.
A police officer in the same state said: “We are just looking for some reasonable, reasonable answers so people can move on with their lives and not have to live in hysteria like we did.” going through.”
As the mystery continues, state governments are calling for more powers to deal with the problem of small, unmanned aircraft spotted in the skies. Earlier this week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said officials were sending her a drone detection system.
Among those voicing doubts is President-elect Donald Trump, who has said the government “knows what’s going on,” but “for some reason they don’t want to comment.” However, he said he “couldn’t imagine it was the enemy”.
The Pentagon previously rejected a New Jersey lawmaker’s suggestion that the drones may have come from an Iranian “mother ship,” while an FBI official said there may have been “counterattacks.” overreaction” on this topic.
