U.S. officials are considering shooting down the Chinese spy balloon once it crosses over the Atlantic, according to reports.
A senior U.S. official told Fox News about the plan on Saturday after ABC News reported on Friday that a similar plan was being considered.
The FAA issued a ground stop and airpsace clearance for parts of North Carolina and South Carolina and operations at Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Wilmington were paused for "national security initiatives" just after 1 p.m. on Saturday.
???? The FAA says it has closed the airspace over parts of North and South Carolina until 2:45pm Eastern. The Chinese surveillance balloon is currently drifting over North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/3bqKZjftSj
— Vivian Salama (@vmsalama) February 4, 2023
President Joe Biden told reporters on Saturday the government would “take care” of the balloon, which reportedly entered U.S. airspace on Tuesday but wasn’t confirmed by officials until Thursday evening.
The craft, which China has insisted is a weather monitoring device that has been blown off course, is believed to have made its way over the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and through Canadian air space before entering the continental United States.
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The reaction from lawmakers was swift, with several Republicans, and some Democrats, expressing frustration that Biden had not done more to stop the craft or informing them about its presence.