Trump calls for ‘mysterious’ drones to be shot down

The “mysterious” drones spotted flying over New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other East Coast states must be shot down, US President-elect Donald Trump has said.

An FBI official told the US Congress earlier this week that the agency had received more than 3,000 tips from the public about sightings of unidentified UAVs in US airspace since mid-November.

Trump weighed in on the issue in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, saying: “Mystery Drone sightings all over the country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I do not think so!”

“Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!” the president-elect demanded.

The sightings have caused concerns among the US lawmakers, including Congressman Jeff Van Drew, who said on Wednesday that he had learned from “high sources” that they were launched from an Iranian ship in the Atlantic. The representative from New Jersey also called for the UAVs to be shot down.

US Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Wednesday that there was “no truth” to Van Drew’s claims. The Pentagon's initial assessment is that “these are not drones coming from a foreign entity or adversary,” she stressed.

However, Van Drew held his ground, telling Fox News the next day that “we are not being told the truth.” The Republican accused the Pentagon of “dealing with the American public like we are stupid.”

On Thursday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said they were continuing to “investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.”

None of the reported UAV sightings have so far been corroborated with electronic detection, the two agencies said. The reviews of available footage and photos allowed them to establish that many of the reported drones were in fact manned aircraft, being operated legally, they added.