The suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has slowly transitioned across the United States over the last two days, now sits above North Carolina.
Footage captured by Fox News Saturday morning showed the balloon sitting just above Charlotte, North Carolina, around 10:30 a.m. ET.
An image of the balloon hovering above Fairfield, North Carolina, was also shared by meteorology student Evan Fisher earlier Saturday morning.
The updated location of the suspected surveillance device comes after Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday that the balloon, which China claims is a civilian reconnaissance airship that inadvertently drifted off course, had “changed its course” and moved to the central part of the country.
Photos shared Friday evening by the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri, showed what appeared to be the balloon, which was first reported to be hovering over Montana, visible from its office in Pleasant Hill that appeared to be headed southeast. “We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon,” NWS Kansas City said.
The Pentagon, amid steady pushback from Republican lawmakers who are keeping an eye on the situation, said that it considered taking down the possible threat from China, but ultimately decided against any action due to “the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field.”
The balloon, which Ryder said Friday will “probably be over the United States for a few days,” was reportedly flying about 60,000 feet above sea level — higher than civilian aircraft fly.
Senior State Department officials have called the incident “unacceptable,” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has indefinitely postponed a planned trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping in light of the circumstances.
Several governors — including Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Parson and Montana GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte — have expressed frustration over the Biden administrations‘ lack of communication as the balloon traversed American airspace.
“We have received zero communication from the Biden Administration regarding reports of the suspected Chinese spy balloon now flying over Missouri,” Parson wrote in a tweet on Friday. “We have heard no explanation or plan to remove it. Why has this been allowed to reach our heartland? Why has it not been eliminated?”
Similarly, Gianforte, during a Saturday morning appearance on “Fox and Friends Weekend,” blasted the Biden administration’s communication about the balloon.
“We’re informed through our national guard,” Gianforte said. “We knew nothing about this until this slow moving balloon was hundreds of miles into the state. It had already flown over military installations and it was over our most populous city in the state.”
A senior U.S. Defense official told Fox News the balloon was launched from mainland China. The Pentagon does not believe that this was a weather balloon that flew off course, as China initially claimed. There was no “force majeure” that caused the Chinese surveillance balloon to enter U.S. airspace, as China’s foreign ministry spokesperson had said.
“This was intentional,” the senior U.S. official said.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has slowly transitioned across the United States over the last two days, now sits above North Carolina.
Footage captured by Fox News Saturday morning showed the balloon sitting just above Charlotte, North Carolina, around 10:30 a.m. ET.
An image of the balloon hovering above Fairfield, North Carolina, was also shared by meteorology student Evan Fisher earlier Saturday morning.
The updated location of the suspected surveillance device comes after Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday that the balloon, which China claims is a civilian reconnaissance airship that inadvertently drifted off course, had “changed its course” and moved to the central part of the country.
Photos shared Friday evening by the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri, showed what appeared to be the balloon, which was first reported to be hovering over Montana, visible from its office in Pleasant Hill that appeared to be headed southeast. “We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon,” NWS Kansas City said.
The Pentagon, amid steady pushback from Republican lawmakers who are keeping an eye on the situation, said that it considered taking down the possible threat from China, but ultimately decided against any action due to “the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field.”
The balloon, which Ryder said Friday will “probably be over the United States for a few days,” was reportedly flying about 60,000 feet above sea level — higher than civilian aircraft fly.
A Chinese spy balloon was spotted Saturday morning, Feb. 4, 2023, over Fairview, North Carolina, moving east-southeast.
(Evan Fisher)
Senior State Department officials have called the incident “unacceptable,” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has indefinitely postponed a planned trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping in light of the circumstances.
Several governors — including Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Parson and Montana GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte — have expressed frustration over the Biden administrations‘ lack of communication as the balloon traversed American airspace.
“We have received zero communication from the Biden Administration regarding reports of the suspected Chinese spy balloon now flying over Missouri,” Parson wrote in a tweet on Friday. “We have heard no explanation or plan to remove it. Why has this been allowed to reach our heartland? Why has it not been eliminated?”
Similarly, Gianforte, during a Saturday morning appearance on “Fox and Friends Weekend,” blasted the Biden administration’s communication about the balloon.
“We’re informed through our national guard,” Gianforte said. “We knew nothing about this until this slow moving balloon was hundreds of miles into the state. It had already flown over military installations and it was over our most populous city in the state.”
A senior U.S. Defense official told Fox News the balloon was launched from mainland China. The Pentagon does not believe that this was a weather balloon that flew off course, as China initially claimed. There was no “force majeure” that caused the Chinese surveillance balloon to enter U.S. airspace, as China’s foreign ministry spokesperson had said.
“This was intentional,” the senior U.S. official said.
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