Baffled fishermen pull potential downed high-altitude 'spy balloon' from water

02 March 2024 , 13:19

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A baffled group of sailors came across the balloon off the coast of Alaska (Image: US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)

Fishermen off the coast of Alaska were left scratching their heads when they pulled what they believe could be a high-altitude 'spy balloon' from the water.

The unmanned object was taken to shore by the fishing boat, where it will be given to the FBI for them to take a closer look. The crew are expected to reach land this weekend and hand over the mysterious object to federal officials.

It will then be sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia for investigation. This strange find comes just over a year after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. That balloon had travelled across the US, starting from Alaskan airspace.

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The suspected balloon was found after a series of balloons were spotted in US airspace last year, thought to be spy balloons from Beijing (US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)

While it's not known where this latest balloon came from, reports suggest that law enforcement think it could belong to a foreign country. After last year's spy balloon incident, security officials found out that Beijing had a widespread surveillance network.

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The balloon that was shot down had entered US airspace via Alaska in January 2023 and flew across the country, even passing over a military base in Montana. In the end, the foreign object was shot down by an F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina.

When the Pentagon looked at the balloon, they said it had "intelligence collection capabilities," in a briefing in June. But, US officials couldn't say if it was able to send information back to China in real-time.

The discovery comes just over a year after a high altitude balloon crossed the U.S., pictured here over Billings, Mont., Feb. 1, 2023 (AP)

A huge row erupted after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted flying over the US. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a trip to China and slammed the country's "irresponsible act".

In response, Beijing promised to hit back, promising countermeasures, adding tension to an already strained relationship between the two countries. Republicans attacked Joe Biden for not ordering the balloon to be shot down sooner.

The fishermen will be handing the suspected balloon to the FBI for investigation (US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)

Since then, several more UFOs have been blasted out of the sky by US warplanes. Last week, the Defense Department revealed it had scrambled fighters to intercept a high-altitude balloon over Utah.

The Pentagon said it was most likely a "hobby balloon" rather than a spying mission. NORAD and the Federal Aviation Administration said they had tracked the mystery balloon on radar "until it left U.S. airspace overnight".

"The balloon was intercepted by NORAD fighters over Utah, who determined it was not manoeuvrable and did not present a threat to national security," NORAD said. "The FAA also determined the balloon posed no hazard to flight safety. NORAD remains in close coordination with the FAA to ensure flight safety."

Joe Smith