Pentagon officials are inspecting a balloon discovered by fishermen off the coast of Alaska last week to determine whether it was used for espionage purposes, according to a report.
The balloon is being analyzed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, a department spokeswoman said. CNN Wednesday -For the first time, the government officially acknowledges that the debris was a balloon.
“We do not know why the balloon was in the waters off the coast of Alaska, and there are currently no plans to characterize it, but we hope to learn more about its origin and purpose after further analysis of the material.” “By multiple agencies,” spokeswoman Sue Goff said.
What the people involved said CNN last The balloon, discovered by a commercial fishing boat on Friday, resembled surveillance balloons used by foreign countries.
“The FBI is aware of wreckage discovered off the coast of Alaska by a commercial fishing vessel,” the bureau told the Post Friday night.
More than a year ago, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that had been hovering over South Carolina after several days of flying across the country and over key U.S. military installations.
China claimed that the balloon was caused by a civilian weather vessel blown off course.
