US national security officials appeared to dispel concerns about this issue Mysterious drones It flew over the Northeast on a recent call with reporters, one of whom went so far as to describe the nationwide unease as a “slight overreaction.”
The call, which was attended by Fox News Digital Saturday, was hosted by senior Biden administration officials, including representatives from the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Security Council (NSC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and State Department. Department of Defense (DOD).
Senior officials remained silent on the matter origin of drones, Which is still under investigation. The mysterious plane was first seen flying over northern New Jersey in mid-November and has been spotted repeatedly Seen by thousands of residents Over the past few weeks.
During the call with reporters, an FBI official said his agency had received 5,000 tips since the first mysterious drone was seen flying over the Garden State in November. The official said that of those 5,000 pieces of information, there are less than 100 that require further investigation.
In this image from video provided by MartyA45_, several drones appear to be flying over Randolph, New Jersey, on December 4. (MartyA45_ /TMX via AP, file)
The FBI official added that investigators have found no evidence of widespread drone activity despite a recent spike in drone activity in recent weeks.
“We are trying our best to find the origin of those specific activities carried out by drones,” the official said. “But I think there was a slight overreaction.”
Echoing an FBI representative's comments, a Department of Homeland Security official noted that while his agency does not dismiss all tips about drones as unreliable, “the amount of actual drone activity is likely less than what is being reported.” “.
A Defense Department official added that the agency did not collect “any intelligence or observations indicating that (the drones) were allied with a foreign entity or that they had malicious intentions.”
“But, you know, just to tell you, we don't know,” the actor said. “We were unable to identify or identify the operators or points of origin.”
New Jersey State Assemblyman Paul Kanitra captured a photo of what appears to be several drones hovering in the New Jersey sky. (Paul Kanitra/Fox News@night)
The Pentagon official added that there are limitations regarding investigating the sources of the drones.
“We are also significantly restricted and, in fact, prevented from conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance here at home,” the spokesman noted. “So, we don't have the same capabilities and the same methods that we used in other locations overseas to determine points of origin.”
“Here, on the military side, we are also frustrated by the irresponsible nature of this activity,” the official admitted.
A National Security Council official echoed the sentiments of the Defense Department representative, saying there was no evidence of foreign adversaries being involved in drones, and no evidence of any threat to public safety.
A map showing some of the locations where mysterious drones were spotted in December 2024. (Fox News)
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“We obviously take this very seriously at this point,” the National Security Council official said. “We have not identified any basis to believe that… there is any criminal activity, that there is any threat to national security, that there is any particular threat to public safety or that there is a malicious foreign entity involved in these drones.”
Fox News' Daniel Scully contributed to this report.
