A review of the large mysterious drones reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks has shown many are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully, a White House official said on Thursday.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said there were no reported sightings in any restricted airspace. He added that the US Coast Guard had not uncovered any foreign involvement from coastal vessels.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby said, echoing statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy.
Separately on Thursday, one US senator called for mysterious drones spotted flying over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the mid-Atlantic region to be “shot down, if necessary”, even as it remains unclear who owns them.
“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat of Connecticut, on Thursday as concerns about the drones spread across Capitol Hill.
The drones appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed on Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security.
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