White House ‘Can’t Confirm’ If US Shot Down Hobbyist Balloon

U.S. F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command, on May 20, 2019. NORAD Command

Both the White House and U.S. military officials are not sure whether the military shot down a hobbyist balloon last week after the group said that one of its pico balloons went missing.

The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade said earlier this week that one of its balloons went missing and was last detected at around 12:48 a.m. UTC on Feb. 11 near the coast of Alaska near Hagemeister Island. That’s located hundreds of miles from Deadhorse, near where U.S. officials say an F-22 jet shot down an unknown object at the same time.