The White House has reacted to the continued demands for answers over mysterious drone activity on the East Coast that has alarmed residents and officials, with several senators expressing “urgent concern.”
However, the White House downplayed concerns over some of the sightings of the night drones which flew over critical infrastructures and sensitive locations, including reservoirs and military installations.
Meanwhile, the New York and New Jersey senators have asked the heads of the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to brief them on the issue in a new letter.
Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, and New Jersey Senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, in a letter on Wednesday, said “We write with urgent concern regarding the unmanned aerial system (UAS) activity that has affected communities across New York and New Jersey in recent days.”
They asked to be briefed “as soon as possible on how your agencies are working with federal and local law enforcement to identify and address the source of these incursions.”
The letter said there are potential safety and security risks posed by the large drones.
The unexplained drone sightings, reported in the Northeast, particularly in New Jersey, have made local and state officials call for greater action and transparency with one state senator calling for a limited state of emergency in response to the activity and nearly two dozen elected officials from one impacted county have demanded a full investigation.
According to New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who attended a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with other state leaders and representatives from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the New Jersey drone activity, there have been reports ranging from four to 180 sightings per night.
The drones “operate in a coordinated manner” and have not been identified as hobbyist drones or ones related to DHS, she said.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that they have been unable to “corroborate some of the reported sightings” using their detection techniques, but are still investigating.
He explained that “many” of the reported drone sightings appear to be lawfully operated manned aircraft, noting that there have been no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted airspace.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby said. “The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they’re working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin.
“That said, we certainly take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports, even though they have uncovered no malicious activity or intent at this particular stage,” Kirby said.
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