The White House clarified that drones spotted over New Jersey and other parts of the US in November were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration for research and other purposes. While some were hobbyist drones, the White House stated these sightings were not a threat from an enemy.
The White House on Tuesday revealed that some of the drones seen flying over New Jersey and other parts of the country in November were authorized to be flown by the Federal Aviation Administration. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared an update 'directly' from President Donald Trump that clarified the origin of the drones, which caused a national stir and captured headlines for weeks late last year.
'After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized by the FAA for research and various other reasons,' Leavitt said. TRUMP VOWS ANSWERS ON MYSTERY DRONE SIGHTINGS AS EXPERT MAKES EERIE PREDICTION In addition to those authorized by the FAA, other drones flown by hobbyists were sighted, and that number increased as curiosity about the phenomenon grew, the White House said. 'This was not the enemy,' Leavitt said. The drone sightings in November and December originally raised public concerns and even attracted the attention of the FBI. ORLANDO DRONE SHOW CRASH CAUSED BY 'COMBINED ERRORS' THAT LED TO MISALIGNED FLIGHT PATH: NTSB REPORT 'The FBI Newark, NJ State Police, and NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness are asking for the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River,' a Dec. 3 FBI statement noted. The Federal Aviation Administration even issued temporary flight restrictions after the large number of sightings, prohibiting drone flights over parts of New Jersey. FBI SEARCHING FOR OPERATOR OF PRIVATELY OWNED DRONE THAT PUNCHED HOLE IN CANADIAN FIREFIGHTING PLANE However, an FBI official later said that of the roughly 5,000 tips they received related to reported drone sightings, 'less than 100 leads have been generated and deemed worthy of further investigative activity.' In mid-December, a DHS official said they're 'confident that many of the reported drone sightings are, in fact, manned aircraft being misidentified as drones,' ABC News reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP An analysis by the White House, in coordination with the FBI and state and local officials, concluded that 'lawful, legal, commercial hobbyist and even law enforcement aircraft activity' was responsible for the sightings, former White House national security communications adviser John Kirby previously told Fox News. Trump had vowed to get to the bottom of the matter once he assumed office. 'I can’t imagine it’s an enemy, or there would have been, you know, people would have gotten blown up, all of them. Maybe they were testing things. I don’t know why. They wouldn’t have said what it was,' Trump said from the Oval Office last week. 'They had a lot of them flying over Bedminster, which is interesting,' referring to his club in New Jersey.
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White House: Some Drones Seen Over New Jersey Were Authorized by FAAThe White House revealed on Tuesday that some of the drones observed flying over New Jersey in November were legally authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared an update from President Donald Trump, clarifying the origin of the drones that had sparked national attention and dominated headlines for weeks.
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