White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month’s sighting reports were authorized drones to fly by the Federal Administration of Aviation (FAA) and “not the enemy.”
Leavitt made the announcement – the most significant since the drone paranoia began in December – in his first Briefing in the White House press room after President Donald Trump said on December 16 that “something strange is happening and by some Reason they don’t want to tell people. ”
“After research and study, the drones that were flying about New Jersey in large numbers were allowed to fly by FAA for research and several other reasons,” Leavitt said, clarifying that he was quoting a statement from the president.
In response to the public’s concern, FAA has adopted dozens of drone prohibitions on critical infrastructure, which in the meantime have expired. The new explanation is in line with what Biden administration officials said at the time – that drone sightings were not harmful.
“Many of these drones were also amateurs, recreational and private individuals who like to fly drones,” Leavitt said. “Over time, the situation worsened due to curiosity. It was not the enemy. ”
Drone sightings have been registered in at least six states – New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio – and detention related to drones operation near Massachusetts and California restricted areas were made.
Sightings began on November 18 near Morris County in New Jersey, according to FAA. Since then, drones have been seen every night, the republican member of the New Jersey Assembly said at the time, Paul Kanitra, CNN’s Sara Sidner. Innervated residents have often reported having seen drones to hover over their heads, sometimes traveling in groups.
The FBI and DHS said they believed that most drone sightings are cases of “exchanged identity”, with public members to wrongly identify manned aircraft that legally operate as drones.
