US Considered Shooting Down Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over Homeland - Reports

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published February 03, 2023 | 03:20 AM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The United States considered shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon spotted over the northern portion of the country, NBC news reported, citing US officials.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Defense Department spokesperson Pat Ryder was quoted as saying in the report on Thursday. "We continue to track and monitor it closely."

The United States acted immediately upon detecting the balloon to protect against collection of sensitive information, the report said.

The balloon was spotted over the US state of Montana on Wednesday, having also flown through Alaska and Canada, the report said.

The balloon is still over an undisclosed location in the United States, the report said, citing a senior Defense Department official.

Experts reviewed the threat profile of the balloon and presented options to President Joe Biden but it was ultimately decided not to recommend shooting it down due to the risk of debris, the report said.