A U.S. senator from Connecticut said a mysterious drone recently spotted flying over the Mid-Atlantic state should be “shot down if necessary.”
In an interview on Capitol Hill Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said intelligence analysis about drones is needed and the U.S. needs to act “more aggressively” on reported sightings. He said there is.
“We should do some very smart intelligence analysis and get them out of the sky, especially if they're flying over airports or military bases,” the senator said. “It is flying over sensitive areas and should be shot down if necessary.”
Blumenthal also said the lack of information about the drones, who they belong to and where they came from is “absolutely unacceptable.”
Latest drone sighting over Connecticut
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said the mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey and more recently in Connecticut over the past few weeks should be “shot down if necessary.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
His comments come amid reports of a number of large drones flying over New Jersey in the past few weeks. A drone was also reportedly seen for the first time in Blumenthal on Thursday.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday that many of the drones allegedly discovered in recent days are actually legally operating manned aircraft.
“There is currently no evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national security or public safety or have any foreign ties,” Kirby told reporters at the daily White House briefing. ” he said. “Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FBI is investigating For these sightings, we work closely with state and local law enforcement agencies to provide resources using a variety of detection methods to better understand their origins. ”
Over the past few weeks, mysterious drones have been spotted flying over the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The image above shows reported sightings as of Wednesday, December 11th. (Fox News)
Mr Kirby also said the investigation into the drone allegations so far had not revealed any “national security, malicious or criminal activity”, but acknowledged the government was in the early stages of investigating.
More than 20 days after the incident, the Pentagon still has no answers about the origins of the mysterious New Jersey drone
Blumenthal said his office is seeking clarification on the drones, which many people seem concerned and afraid of and that it is “absolutely necessary” for Congress and the American people.
“We're hearing from voters in metropolitan areas around New York, Connecticut and New Jersey that they're really scared of unidentified drones flying over airports and military bases,” he said.
Social media users said they captured several drones flying over Fairfield, Conn., Thursday night. (Lucy Biggers)
The senator added that drones cause “a level of fear, even fear,” as people worry about surveillance and planes flying in the same airspace.
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He also encouraged Americans who want to use drones to buy U.S.-made rather than Chinese-made drones, and warned that drones could become “a source of surveillance data for other types of security threats.” I warned you that it's sexual.
On December 5th, multiple drones were seen flying over Bernardsville, New Jersey. (Brian Glenn/TMX/AP)
“Chinese drones actually exist” [a] They are a threat to the security of this country,” Blumenthal said. “We have to stop using them.”
