Security officials in the US have reportedly shot down a Chinese balloon suspected of being used to spy on the country. The balloon was reportedly floating across the States at 60,000 feet and was around the size of three double decker buses.
The Associated Press reports that the balloon was downed by Air Force fighter aircraft, according to anonymous sources. President Joe Biden briefly alluded to the airborne inflatable in response to a question from a journalist, in which he said: "We're going to take care of it."The balloon was first sighted by civilians in Billings, Montana, on Wednesday and was seen over the Carolinas on Sunday as it headed for the Atlantic coast, the Mirror reportsChinese officials have insisted the balloon was a weather measuring device which drifted off-course, and was not a spying device.
But the Pentagon said the balloon, which was carrying sensors and surveillance equipment, was manoeuvrable and showed it could change course.US officials say the Biden administration was aware of it even before it crossed into American airspace in Alaska early this past week.
It had loitered over sensitive areas of Montana, where nuclear warheads are siloed, leading the military to take actions to prevent it from collecting intelligence.The device was exploded over the ocean shortly after officials determined that civilians would not be at risk.
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