The US is closer to confirming and proving the espionage charges launched against China. Balloon flying over the continental territory of the United States Before being hit in the waters off South Carolina on Feb. At the same time, it begins to show signs that distinguish this incident from the other three planes shot down in the US and Canada over the weekend.
US Army teams managed to recover “significant remains” The US Northern Command announced on Monday that it is focusing on national defense. These remains were sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.
US authorities denounced last week that the balloon, which China acknowledges ownership but attributes only meteorological research functions, carries sensors designed to collect espionage and contact information. The device also featured multiple antennas with an arrangement that could indicate the location of communications.
The other three, possibly “benign”
It’s also advancing in the investigation into the balloon, whose discovery caused a major event. crisis with China The USA, which exploded the timid steps of rapprochement between the two countries and now Beijing has brought forward its own accusations, has also started to give information about it. three other unidentified objects Overturned on Friday, Saturday and Sunday The separation of the Binary Crisis, noting that they can be harmless.
CNN won memorandum which is Pentagon distributed to congressmen this Tuesday before several behind-the-scenes briefings for both senators and Intelligence Committee members. And in that document it says “The events of the last few days should not be assumed to be connected.”.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also made statements in a meeting with reporters on Tuesday that distinguishes the last three demolitions from the first. “We didn’t see no sign nor anything that specifically points to the idea that these three objects are Part of the PRC’s spy program or who was involved efforts to gather external (from other countries) intelligence‘, he explained.
The former Pentagon spokesman assured that “the possibility of these being balloons has not been ruled out.” affiliated solely with commercial or research organizations And so benign. That may or may be the main explanation in this case,” Kirby said.
In any case, to put an end to multiple questions, we will have to wait for the US to recover the remnants of the three devices, something that has yet to be accomplished this Tuesday morning. harsh weather conditions, especially near the North Pole and due to the complexity of the terrain and lake they fall into.
Three planes, four missiles
The Pentagon note states that the plane downed by an F-22 over Alaska on Friday ” small car size”. Yes it was “small metal balloon with a load attached The object was shot down by another US F-22 on Saturday over northern Canada on the orders of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and in an operation developed by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), according to a military document. The two countries work together.
Third plane shot down Market on Lake Huron, previously described as an “octagonal structure”. This Tuesday, General Mark Milley, in charge of the Chief of the Defense Staff, confirmed the information previously provided by FoxNews in Brussels and explained: took two missiles hitting it as the first one launched from an F-16 against the device failed. It “landed harmlessly” in the water, according to Milley.
Possible rapprochement with China
Although the alleged spy bubble incident increased tensions between Washington and Beijing, prompting US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to delay his trip to China, the two countries try starting a throttling again. As published by the Bloomberg agency, citing anonymous sources, Blinken thinks: Meet Wang Yi, China’s top diplomatic official, Munich Security Conference, It is celebrated between 17-19 February.