US aircraft downs unidentified flying object over Canada: Trudeau

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Feb 00:24

The Canadian PM says the North American Aerospace Defense Command shot down an unidentified flying object over Yukon.

Inside the headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command, July 13, 2021 (NORAD)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday announced that he has ordered the "takedown of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace."

In a tweet, Trudeau confirmed that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) shot down the object over Yukon.

"Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object," the Prime Minister pointed out.

I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023

Trudeau said he "spoke with President Biden this afternoon," adding that "Canadian Forces will now recover and analyze the wreckage of the object."

I spoke with President Biden this afternoon. Canadian Forces will now recover and analyze the wreckage of the object. Thank you to NORAD for keeping the watch over North America.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023

According to ABC, the nature of the object is still not clear nor if it is related to the Chinese balloon from last week or the object shot down over Alaska on Friday.

Earlier, NORAD confirmed that the US military is tracking an unidentified flying object over northern Canada, but the details and origin of the object are unknown.

In a statement to Sputnik, NORAD indicated that "military aircraft are currently operating from Alaska and Canada in support of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) activities."

It continued that "NORAD confirms that we have positively identified a high-altitude airborne object over Northern Canada."

"While we cannot discuss specifics related to these activities at this time, please note that NORAD conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defense of North America through one or all three NORAD regions," the statement concluded.

This comes after the US Defense Department confirmed on Friday that a "high-altitude object" was shot down over Alaska after assessing that it could pose a "threat to civilian aircraft."

The unidentified object was first seen on Thursday night, and US President Joe Biden ordered the shooting down early Friday.

Unlike the Chinese balloon that was previously shot down, officials noted that the new object was "much smaller" and seemed to be the size of a small car.

"The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet, and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight," White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a Friday briefing, adding that officials have had no "outreach" with China over the development.

The US authorities presently have no idea who owns the "object" or have any information regarding its nature.

Kirby indicated that the US is "calling this an object because that's the best description we have right now."