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Chinese Spy Balloon shot down by US over Carolina coast

The discovery of the Chinese balloon raised tensions at a crucial time but has now been taken down by US military.

Update:
US shoots down Chinese spy balloon
ALLISON JOYCEREUTERS

The Chinese spy balloon that has been seen in US airspace over the past week has been shot down by the military.

US President Joe Biden said that the balloon would “be taken care of” and today three airports were closed in the region as the military were sent to take down the object.

China denies the fact that it is a spy ballon and instead insisted that it was a civilian airship that had been used for meteorological and scientific research, and that had been blown off course due to high winds. They said it had “never violated the territory and airspace of any sovereign country”, despite the US saying the contrary, claiming that the balloon was a “clear violation” of their sovereignty.

President Biden had said on Saturday that the balloon would be "taken care of".
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President Biden had said on Saturday that the balloon would be "taken care of".ELIZABETH FRANTZREUTERS

Where was the balloon seen?

According to US officials, the balloon moved over Alaska and Canada before floating over the Montana, a place that is known to be home to a number of US nuclear missile sites. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a scheduled trip to Beijing due to the incident, something that has angered China, to which they responded that they “would not accept any groundless conjecture or hype.”

US military response

The Pentagon said that the balloon was “travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic” and that it did “not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground”, but this not stop a rise in tensions or panic when the news was first reported.

Is there a second balloon?

The BBC have reported that a second balloon has been spotted on Friday over Costa Rica and Venezuela: China is yet to comment.