US Homeland Security, FBI dismiss drone sightings as non-threatening, Joe Biden says, ‘nothing nefarious’

Mysterious drones spotted in parts of the United States pose no threat to national security or public safety, overnment agencies said Tuesday. For weeks, residents across the northeast part the US have reported unidentified drone flights. This fueled concerns of foreign involvement and as well as accusations of a US government cover-up.

Addressing the concerns, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration said in a joint statement, “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”

“Having closely examined 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,” they said.

President Joe Biden also weighed in on the reports, saying “nothing nefarious apparently. There are a lot of drones authorized. We are following this closely. So far no sense of danger.”

How drone sighting became a social media frenzy?

The sightings, which began in mid-November, have created a social media frenzy. A Facebook group entitled “New Jersey Mystery Drones – let’s solve it” had nearly 75,000 members as of Monday, with people posting theories ranging from extraterrestrials to foreign actors.

Top US officials have dismissed claims of foreign involvement, including theories that the drones came from an Iranian or Chinese “mothership” at sea, despite growing public concern. Reports have come from states like New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.

President-elect Donald Trump has said the US government “knows what is happening,” suggesting there is some sort of cover-up, but outgoing President Joe Biden’s administration has rejected such suggestions.

(With inputs from agencies)