Pentagon officials will speak publicly Friday afternoon on the suspected Chinese spy balloon seen over U.S. airspace near Montana.
Defense officials have previously revealed that the device penetrated U.S. airspace “a couple days ago” and that there is “very high confidence” the system came from China and indicated it was likely used to gather intelligence.
China has confirmed that the balloon was indeed theirs but claimed that the device was merely used for meteorological purposes and had been blown off its planned course — something that has been met with skepticism from prominent U.S. politicians.
“The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.
CHINA SPINS INTELLIGENCE BALLOON HOVERING OVER US AS MERELY BLOWN OFF COURSE
Secretary of State Antony Blinken‘s scheduled trip to Beijing has been postponed in light of the suspected spy balloon development. Officials have come under pressure to shoot down that balloon, but some defense officials have said such action could pose risks of falling debris causing damage and stressed that capturing the device is critical for intelligence purposes.
