February 2, 2023 5:35pm EST
US government monitoring suspected Chinese spy balloon over northern states
A senior U.S. defense official said the government is closely monitoring the suspected Chinese spy balloon
By Adam Sabes , Liz Friden | Fox News
The U.S. government is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been moving over northern states over the past several days.
Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing on Thursday afternoon that the U.S. government has detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental U.S.
"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now. The U.S. government to include Norad, continues to track and monitor it closely. The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground. Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years. Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information," Ryder said.
A senior defense official said that the U.S. government is "confident" that the surveillance balloon belongs to the People's Republic of China.
The defense official said that the balloon was recently over Montana, and that officials were considering bringing the plane down with military assets, but decided against doing so because of the risks associated, adding that President Biden was briefed on the situation and asked for military options.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-government-monitoring-suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-northern-states
