On Saturday, an American F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified cylindrical object in the airspace over Canada. At the same time, authorities in Canada and the United States are coordinating their actions.
Brigadier General Patrick Ryder reported the incident.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first announced the downed object over northern Yukon Territory on Saturday, saying the Canadian military would collect and analyze the wreckage to get more details about its purpose and origin.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate on the origin of the object, which she said posed a risk to civilian air traffic.
The Pentagon said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) located the object over Alaska on Friday evening.
According to a Pentagon statement, President Joe Biden authorized US military cooperation with Canada after speaking with Trudeau.
The White House said Biden and Trudeau agreed to continue to coordinate closely to “protect our airspace.”
A day earlier, Biden had issued the order to shoot down an unidentified flying object near Deadhorse, Alaska, and on Saturday the US military recovered the wreckage.
US officials have been trying to identify the object since it was first spotted on Thursday.
“At this time, we have no details of the object, including its capabilities, purpose or origin,” the Northern Command said on Saturday.
