Official announcements or policy documents from relevant agencies

White House Confirms 5,000 Mystery Drones in Northeast Are Legal, Pose No Threat

Dec 17, 2024, 01:46 AM

The White House has announced that the mystery drones spotted over the northeastern United States, including over 5,000 reports in New Jersey and near military facilities, are operating legally and lawfully. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated, 'Our assessment at this stage is that the activity represents commercial, hobbyist, or law enforcement drones, all operating legally and lawfully.' He emphasized that the sightings do not pose any national security or public safety threat. The FBI has deployed detection technology and observers to assess the situation. The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense have released a joint statement, confirming that they 'have not identified anything anomalous' and that the drones are a combination of lawful commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement aircraft activity. The agencies noted that many of the reported drones were, in fact, manned aircraft, stars mistaken for drones, or lawfully operated unmanned vehicles. Over one million drones are registered with the FAA in the United States, and thousands are active in the skies daily.