What we know about the mysterious drones flying over the United States

Words by Georgia Ziebart, ITV News Producer

A spate of mysterious drone sightings over the United States in the last few weeks have sparked concern from Americans, leading to speculation over who sent the drones – and why.

Sightings of bright lights floating in the sky above New Jersey began nearly a month ago.

Since then, the lights – which federal officials say are drones – have been spotted in multiple states, in locations ranging from residential streets to military sites.

Authorities have emphasised that the drones are not a threat to security, but have provided little answers over their origin and what their purpose may be.

ITV News explains everything we know so far.

Where have drones been seen?

Drone sightings have been reported in at least six eastern states since November: New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Virginia.

The first sighting was reported on November 18 in New Jersey.

New Jersey official Paul Kanitra told CNN there had been drone sightings in the state every night since that date, causing widespread concern and confusion.

But fears escalated after drones were spotted near a US military research facility – Picattiny Arsenal – and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, according to military officials.

Those sightings prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue temporary flight restrictions over the properties.

On Friday evening, reported drone activity prompted New York’s Stewart International Airport to temporarily close its runways for about an hour.

What have officials said?

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have said the drones do not provide any security threat. In a joint statement on Thursday, they said there is “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”

In a call with reporters on Saturday, senior officials from the FBI, Pentagon, Federal Aviation Authority and other agencies reiterated that point.

One FBI official said the public concern was understandable, but added, “I think there has been a slight overreaction.”

But state officials have urged authorities to do more. Speaking on Saturday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “this has gone too far.”

She said that last month she had “directed the New York State Intelligence Centre to actively investigate drone sighting and coordinate with federal law enforcement to address the issue.”

Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called for the drones to be “shot down, if necessary.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was asking the Department of Homeland Security to deploy special detection systems that use 360-degree technology to detect drones.

“If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is the technology that can track the craft with precision and determine what the heck is going on,” he said on Sunday.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, criticised the Biden administration’s response. Posting on Truth Social, he said he believes the government knows more than they have said: “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”, he wrote.

Who sent the drones?

Military officials maintained over the weekend that there were no signs of malicious foreign involvement, but said they still do not know who is responsible for the drones.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Wednesday that the aircraft are not US military drones.

But speculation has raged online. Facebook groups and Reddit threads dedicated to the sightings have accumulated thousands of posts, with users swapping theories on nefarious foreign interference.

New Jersey Congressman, Rep. Chris Smith, echoed that speculation on Saturday.

“The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defence capabilities – or worse – by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” he said.

The FBI said they believe most of the drone sightings are cases of “mistaken identity”, with members of the public misidentifying small, legally operated manned aircrafts as drones.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN that some of the sightings could be commercial drones.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon shut down speculation the drones formed part of a coordinated foreign attack, hours after Congressman Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican, told Fox News the drones were from an Iranian “mothership” that is “of the East Coast of the United States of America.”

“There is not any truth to that,” the Pentagon’s Sabrina Singh said, “there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there is no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States.”

What are the rules around drones?

Drone regulation in the US is determined on a state-by-state basis, making monitoring drone activity more complicated.

“The laws that regulate aircraft are not built to empower police to deal with the drones,” Axon CEO Rick Smith told CNN on Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration allows operators of recreational drones to fly up to 400 feet above the ground, in airspaces not controlled by air traffic controllers.

Drones were also spotted last month in the UK, with several small unmanned aircraft detected near four military bases in Suffolk, Norfolk and Gloucestershire used by the US Air Force.

It is illegal in the UK for drones to be flown within the vicinity of military sites, meaning a criminal investigation was launched.

What happens next?

Lawmakers in New York and New Jersey have called for further information from the federal government. On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas promised more resources.

“I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings,” he said.

New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer announced on Tuesday that he would introduce legislation allowing for the expansion of federal grants to help make radar systems available to local law enforcement.

But officials warned against shooting down drones.

“It’s not as though anyone can just take down a drone in the sky,” Mr Mayorkas told CNN, “That in and of itself is dangerous”.

A source familiar with the investigation told CNN that shooting the drones would be “beyond risky”, posing an unnecessary risk to people on the ground, and would face legal challenges.

“Blowing it out of the sky is the last resort,” the source said.

But despite assurances that the drones don’t pose a public safety threat, one New Jersey Mayor, Michael Melham, said he had received guidance that police should call the country bomb squad and local fire departments should wear hazmat suits if they encounter a downed drone.

“We just don’t know what these things are, so we are being cautious,” he said.

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