UFO spotted over Canada, shot down under PM Justin Trudeau’s orders

On February 11, a US fighter jet acting under Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's orders shot down an unidentified flying object (UFO) over Canada. This was the second such take-down in North American skies following the dramatic shoot-down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon a week earlier. Canadian forces in the Yukon will now recover and examine the UFO’s debris, according to Trudeau.

Regarding the latest incursion, Trudeau has spoken with US President Joe Biden, the Canadian prime minister said. Meanwhile, Canada's minister of national defence claimed to have spoken with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as well.

“North American air sovereignty is a key priority,” Canada's defence minister Anita Anand later said at a press conference, “…which is why we continue to work in partnership with the United States, NORAD and the broader security community to protect Canadian and US interests.”

A diplomatic split with Beijing widened in late January when a purported Chinese “spy balloon” crossed the US and Canadian continents. Fighter planes shot down the item on February 11 over the Yukon, which borders Alaska, where they also shot down another such object on February 10 off the northern coast of the US state near the community of Deadhorse.

Search and retrieval efforts on February 11 for the object's remains went on but were hampered by the Arctic wind chill, snow, and little sunshine. The object's capabilities, purpose, or origin are unknown, and recovery operations are taking place on sea ice, according to the Pentagon's Northern Command.

Also Read: Chinese spy balloon shot down by US peeks curiosity for the apparatus. How this works

China confirmed ownership of the enormous balloon in January after it had soared above Canada and the United States carrying electronics, which the Pentagon described as a spy vessel. China claimed the balloon was a harmless weather balloon that had been blown off course.

Before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean off South Carolina on February 4, that balloon entered US airspace in Alaska on January 28 and travelled across Canada and much of the US. Several US military facilities, including those with missile silos with nuclear-tipped weapons, were passed over by the balloon during its flight.

Also Read: Chinese spy balloon capable of collecting communications signals: US

On February 9, a non-binding resolution was voted by US senators criticising China over the balloon. The US thinks the balloon is a part of a larger fleet of surveillance balloons that has travelled across five continents, despite China's assertion that it was not used for spying.

According to US officials, images of the balloon reveal it had various sensors and surveillance devices that could intercept communications. It also featured a solar array for power.

(With agency inputs)