White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed the mystery behind the drones on Tuesday.
The mystery of unexplained drone sightings over New Jersey and along the East Coast of the US late last year has been solved, thanks to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
In the first press briefing of Donald Trump’s second administration, Leavitt revealed that many of those drones were being used for research purposes and were authorised and known by the government.
“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorised to be flown by the Federal Aviation Administration for research and various other reasons,” Leavitt said.
“Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones,” she added.
Locals reported mysterious drones flying over their neighbourhoods in December last year, leading to rampant online speculation about their origins and intentions; some expressed concerns that the drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents or even an alien arrival.
Many criticised the government over why the public was not given more information about who sent the drones, or why.
Leavitt assured the public that “this was not the enemy” but did not disclose who was using the drones or what research was being conducted.
She said information had come “directly from the president of the United States that was just shared with me in the Oval Office”.
In December, Trump suggested the Biden administration knew more than what the public was told about the drones.
“They know where it came from and where it went,” Trump said.
“And for some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I think they’d be better off saying what it is. Our military knows and our president knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.”
Before his election Trump had promised to disclose the source of the drones if he became president.
Trump said he would start investigating the mysterious drone activity and put his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on the case.
“I would like to find out what it is and tell the people. In fact, I’d like to do that,” he said. “Could we find out what that was, Susie? Why don’t we find out immediately?”
The FBI was the lead agency investigating the sightings and said it received more than 5,000 drone-related tipoffs from concerned citizens.
On social media, users shared theories that ranged from foreign interference to UFOs to hobbyist activity.
The Biden administration responded to questions at the time, stating there was no evidence of anything nefarious with the sightings.
In mid-December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the FAA said in a joint statement that the investigators had “not identified anything anomalous” about the reports.
The sightings, they said, were actually a combination of lawful drones from hobbyists and law enforcement, as well as planes, helicopters and “stars mistakenly reported as drones”.
One week after retaking the White House, Trump has made good on many of his promises during the electoral trail.
Trump is set to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America, declassify remaining documents related to the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr and sign several executive orders focused on reshaping the US military.
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