The U.S. downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of the Carolinas, according to the Pentagon.
“This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, U.S. fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over the water off the coast of South Carolina in U.S. airspace,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The downing comes after the FAA restricted airspace over three cities in the Carolinas and President Joe Biden said “we’re going to take care of it.”
The balloon was first spotted in Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, causing significant national security concerns and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a trip to Beijing. China has denied that it was using the balloon to spy on the U.S.
