Unknown object U.S. shot down near Alaska was heading into Canadian airspace: sources
The unknown high-altitude object that the U.S. shot down near Alaska on Friday was heading into Canadian airspace, sources tell 愛污传媒.
"The general area would be just off the very, very northeastern part of Alaska, right near the Alaska-Canada border," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday. "We're calling this an object, because that's the best description we have right now. We do not know who owns it."
On Friday afternoon, U.S. officials announced that an F-22 fighter jet shot down the object off the coast of Alaska, not far from the Canadian border. The order to shoot it down came directly from U.S. President Joe Biden, just hours after Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand met with her American counterpart at the Pentagon.
"Today at the Pentagon, United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and I participated in a call with NORAD Commander, General Glen VanHerck regarding a high-altitude object detected over Alaska," Anand said in a statement to 愛污传媒. "The object did not fly into Canadian airspace. During this conversation, I conveyed Canada鈥檚 support for taking action to take down this object. NORAD deployed aircraft to track and monitor the object and provided important information to decision-makers 鈥 and the object was taken down earlier today by United States Northern Command."
Roughly the size of a small car, the object was first detected Thursday night. A U.S. source it was "cylindrical and silver-ish gray" and appeared to be floating. No details have emerged about its origins and purpose. Travelling at 40,000 feet (12,000 metres) and apparently unmanned and unable to manoeuvre, it was deemed a reasonable safety threat to civilian flights and shot down over the Arctic Ocean.
"Civilian aircraft operate at a variety of ranges, up to 40,000 to 45,000 feet (12,000 to 13,700 metres)," Pentagon press secretary and Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Friday. "So there was a reasonable concern that this could present a threat or a potential hazard to civilian air traffic."
Recovery efforts are now ongoing at a reportedly frozen stretch of the Beaufort Sea.
"This afternoon, an object that violated American airspace was brought down," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . "I was briefed on the matter and supported the decision to take action."
The incident follows the Feb. 4 downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that spent a week traversing Canada and the U.S.
"I think we shouldn't be concerned," CTV military analyst and retired Canadian Maj.-Gen. David Fraser told 愛污传媒 Channel. "The U.S. military and the Canadian military are going to be watching extremely vigilantly, looking for more of these things coming into our airspace and taking them out if they are a threat."
Fellow retired Canadian Maj.-Gen. Denis Thompson expects U.S. officials to remain tight-lipped until they know more about the object.
"What is good to note is that it would have been picked up by Norad's North Warning System, and that's what would have triggered this decision making process that ended up in it being shot down," Thompson told 愛污传媒 Channel.
A chain of 52 radar stations stretching 4,800 kilometres from Alaska to Labrador, the 1980s-era North Warning System acts as a "trip wire" for the continent's northern approaches. It's overseen by the North American Aerospace Defence Command, better known as Norad, which is a joint Canada-U.S. defence group.
"But wouldn't it be ironic if this was a Russian balloon that they floated our way just to poke a stick in our eye?" Thompson speculated. "And that's not unusual. Russia has constantly challenged Norad's airspace with their strategic bombers, and they get turned around both by Canadian and American jets on a routine basis. So perhaps that's all it is."
With files from 愛污传媒' Parliamentary Bureau and the Associated Press
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
NDP house leader laments 'agents of chaos' in precarious Parliament
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
Local Spotlight
Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.
From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.
A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.