‘Shoot them down’: Donald Trump on mystery drone sightings

PTI, Dec 14, 2024, 8:02 AM IST

Donald Trump (Credit: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons)

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has called for the “shooting down” of the mystery drones that have been appearing in various parts of the country.

These drones were first spotted in New Jersey a few days ago and are now being seen in other areas as well.

The federal government and the White House have so far maintained that these do not pose any national security threat and nor there is any evidence of a foreign hand in it. The appearance of the mystery drones, however, continues to be the subject of investigation.

“Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so,” Trump said on Friday in a post on Truth Social, a social media platform owned by him.

“Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT,” he said with his personal signature at the end of the post.

The White House on Thursday said there was no evidence yet that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or that they have a foreign nexus.

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources, using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters.

He added that “… upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.” “The United States Coast Guard is providing support to the State of New Jersey and has confirmed that there is no evidence of any foreign-based involvement from coastal vessels. And, importantly, there are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace,” Kirby said.

In a joint statement, the Department of Homeland Security and FBI also said that there was no evidence yet that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.

“We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space,” the statement read.

In a letter to the DHS, FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim said that “since late November, communities in the New York City area and northern New Jersey have reported several incidents of unattributable drone sightings at night, alarming both residents and local law enforcement”.

They highlighted that “the potential safety and security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas is especially pertinent considering recent drone incursions at sensitive military sites in and outside of the continental United States over the past year”.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer from New Jersey on Friday urged federal law enforcement agencies, led by the FBI and DHS, to allow state and local law enforcement to deploy assets that can safely take down drones that “should not be in our skies”.

He wrote a letter to the FBI, DHS and the FAA, asking them to immediately brief the public.

“They also need to work closely with state and local law enforcement to give them the equipment they need to monitor drone activity. There is clearly too much of it here in Jersey and other parts of the country,” Gottheimer said.