High-altitude object shot down above Alaska, US claims

(BBC) ⸻ The White House has confirmed that a "high-altitude object" was shot down over Alaska earlier on Friday. Spokesman John Kirby said the unmanned object was "the size of a small car" and was over a sparsely populated area at the time. President Joe Biden took the decision to shoot down the object, which was of unknown origin, after the US shot down a Chinese balloon over its territorial waters last Saturday. Mr Kirby explained that the object over Alaska was travelling at 40,000ft (12,000m) and posed a "reasonable threat" to civilian aircraft. Officials have not yet determined whether the object was involved in surveillance, and the Federal Aviation Administration has closed airspace in the area of Deadhorse, in northern Alaska. No other objects of a threatening nature have been identified above the US at this time.