Fishermen have discovered what appears to be “a pretty big balloon” off the coast of Alaska, a US official told CBS News on Friday. The alleged spy balloon is being brought into port for examination, according to the official, who also stated that photographs of the object are being examined, but no exact identification will be possible until it arrives.
The official emphasized that the balloon was not shot down by the United States military.
The exact location of the balloon and the circumstances surrounding its discovery were not provided.
In January 2023, a suspected high-altitude Chinese spy balloon was spotted floating over the United States before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina by a US fighter jet. According to government officials, the balloon was equipped with advanced technology capable of collecting communications signals and other sensitive information.
China, on the other hand, claimed that the balloon was a weather research satellite that had blown off course.
In the following weeks, fighter jets shot down several unidentified objects over the United States and Canada.
Late last month, the North American Aerospace Defense Command announced that it was tracking another high-altitude balloon over the western United States. A day later, NORAD reported that the object had been identified as a hobbyist balloon and posed no threat to national security.