US closes 3 airports in ‘national security effort’ after Chinese balloon case

by

The US aviation agency announced on Saturday afternoon (4) the closure of at least three airports, interrupting civil flights in the airspace around these terminals, citing a “national security effort”. The episode comes amid the controversy linked to an alleged Chinese spy balloon that the Pentagon detected flying over US territory two days ago.

The airports affected by the measure are on the east coast, close to the coast of the state of South Carolina. In a statement, the FAA warned that the military could act if aircraft violate restrictions or fail to comply with an order to stand down. According to the Reuters agency, the measure indicates the possibility of an action to shoot down a new balloon.

Earlier this Saturday, President Joe Biden said the country “will take charge” of the case. It was the first time that the democrat spoke about the incident, which led to a new escalation of tensions between the US and China, culminating in the postponement of a trip to Beijing by the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, originally scheduled for this purpose week.

Washington claims that the object would be a spying instrument, while Beijing says it is research equipment, mainly meteorological, that has left the route.

Biden made the statement in response to a reporter who questioned whether the Army intended to shoot down the high-attitude balloon, which the administration says clearly violated US sovereignty by entering US territory. The military had considered taking down the artifact, but decided not to do so due to the risk of the wreckage reaching the population on the ground. The artifact would have the size of three buses.

The Democrat did not specify, however, what the plans are for the balloon – according to the AccuWeather weather forecast service, the object is on its way to the Atlantic Ocean and should leave American airspace on Saturday night.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you