Recent drone sightings include a combination of “lawful” drones, other aircrafts and stars, federal government officials said in a statement on Monday.
In looking into “the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” read a joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Defense (DOD).
The FBI received more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in recent weeks, with approximately 100 leads generated, and the federal government was supporting local officials in investigating the reports, the statement also said.
“Consistent with each of our unique missions and authorities, we are quickly working to prioritize and follow these leads. We have sent advanced detection technology to the region. And we have sent trained visual observers,” the statement continues.
Drone sightings have rattled multiple Northeastern states, most notably New Jersey, over the last month. The White House said Monday that drones are not a national security or public risk, with White House national security communications adviser John Kirby’s words to reporters Monday about what the White House says the drone sightings are being similar to the Monday statement from the agencies and departments.
“We recognize the concern among many communities,” the agencies and departments said in their joint statement.
“We continue to support state and local authorities with advanced detection technology and support of law enforcement. We urge Congress to enact counter-[unmanned aircraft systems] legislation when it reconvenes that would extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.”
On Monday, President-elect Trump said the Biden administration is aware of what is happening when it comes to the drone sightings, with the president-elect implying that the drones are not from a hostile adversary.
“The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from, if it’s a garage they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went,” Trump said at Mar-a-Lago.
“And for some reason, they don’t want to comment. I think they’d be better off saying what it is,” he continued. “Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.”
