An American fighter jet shot down an unidentified object violating Canadian airspace on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Trudeau said he ordered the mission after consulting with President Joe Biden.
“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace,” Trudeau tweeted. “@NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.”
“I spoke with President Biden this afternoon. Canadian Forces will now recover and analyze the wreckage of the object. Thank you to NORAD for keeping the watch over North America,” Trudeau added.
After the North American Aerospace Defense Command first discovered the object, Canadian and U.S. jets intercepted it, and a U.S. F-22 — for the third time this week — shot it down.
The latest incident comes a day after another F-22 downed an unidentified cylindrical object over Alaska airspace, which is currently being recovered by the U.S. military near the Alaskan town of Deadhorse.
The weekend intercepts follow the cross-country saga earlier this month when a Chinese surveillance balloon overflew the U.S. from Montana to South Carolina, before it was downed over the Atlantic.
Recoveries of the two objects are still ongoing. NORAD said in a Saturday statement that the work in the High North is being hampered by adverse weather conditions.
“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said. “Recovery activities are occurring on sea ice.”
White House and Pentagon officials still do not have a positive identification or country of origin of the object shot down over Alaska, and would not confirm that Friday’s incident was a Chinese-made surveillance balloon like the one that was struck off the coast of South Carolina.