Objects Shot Down Over North America Part Of A ‘Pattern,’ Trudeau Says

Topline

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Monday there may be some sort of connection between three unidentified objects shot down over North American airspace during the past few days, saying “obviously there is some sort of pattern in there” as officials remain vague about what the objects may be.

Key Facts

Trudeau said the objects are “cause of interest and close attention” at a press briefing Monday, declining to go into further detail about what they are and why they were flying over North America.

Trudeau’s comments came just before National Security Council spokesman John Kirby spoke at a White House news conference, where he refused to elaborate on the prime minister’s remarks, claiming he had not heard them.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened Monday’s briefing by saying there is “no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns”—one of the few fragments of information officials have actually confirmed so far.

Key Background

U.S. fighters shot down an object traveling at an altitude of about 40,000 feet off the northern coast of Alaska on Friday, before downing another object moving at 40,000 feet over Canada’s Yukon territory on Saturday—through cooperation with Canadian authorities—and then another flying at 20,000 feet over Lake Huron on Sunday. Hardly any details have been released about the aircraft, which U.S. officials say were shot down since they posed threats to civilian flight. Recovery attempts are underway, though the Alaska and Yukon locations are very remote and the remains of the Lake Huron object crashed into the cold waters. What is known is the objects were unmanned and lacked propulsion mechanisms, meaning they were likely guided by winds, according to Kirby. The Lake Huron object has been described as octagon-shaped with strings hanging off of it, while the Alaska object was roughly the size of a small car. Officials have not provided an early description of the Yukon object.

News Peg

The objects appeared after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month. Kirby said Monday it was not clear if the three other objects were balloons.

Further Reading

Aliens Weren’t Behind Balloon Incidents, White House Says (Forbes)

U.S. Shoots Down Object Over Alaska That Posed ‘Threat,’ Pentagon Says (Forbes)

Everything We Know About The Flying Object Shot Down Over Canada—A Day After Similar Incident Over Alaska (Forbes)

U.S. Military Shoots Down Another Flying Object—This Time Over Lake Huron (Forbes)

Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Hovering Over U.S., Pentagon Says (Forbes)

U.S. Shoots Down Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over Atlantic (Forbes)