US Shoots Down Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon

Washington: The United States downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast on Saturday.

Such an action was taken by the US government after President Joe Biden vowed to “take care” of the suspected spy device.

The balloon was shot down after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Earlier this week, the US had claimed that the balloon was spying on sensitive military sites across North America.

“Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President (Joe) Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC’s unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Footage on local media showed a small explosion, which was followed by the balloon descending toward the water.

The operation was planned in a manner that all the debris falls into the ocean. Ships had been deployed to recover as much of the debris as possible.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had on Friday confirmed that the balloon belonged to China, but said that it was a civilian airship conducting climate research and accidentally blew off course.