U.S. fighter shoots down object over Canada, Trudeau says

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
(Image credit: James Park/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The U.S. military shot down an "unidentified object" in Canada's Yukon Territory, officials from both countries said late Saturday.

In a series of tweets, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he "ordered the takedown of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace." Following Trudeau's order, "Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object," the prime minister said.

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Trudeau added that he spoke with President Biden about the incident, and Canadian military officials will begin efforts to recover the object.

Details about the object have not been revealed, though it was described as a "small metallic balloon" carrying an unspecified payload, senior U.S. officials told Fox News on Sunday.

According to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the object was first detected over Alaska on Friday before it moved into Canadian airspace. USA Today noted that the Pentagon operates a number of military facilities in Alaska, including radar systems designed to track and intercept unknown flying objects.

It is unclear if the events in Canada were related to a series of other objects that have been shot down in recent days.

This includes a separate unidentified object shot down over Alaska on Friday, as well as a Chinese spy balloon that was shot down last weekend off the coast of South Carolina. Details on all three incidents remain slim, but NORAD said it will continue to monitor for any additional activity in the skies.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told ABC News' This Week that he believed all three objects were balloons, though military officials have not confirmed this.

Justin Klawans, The Week US

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.