Ariana Baio
Feb 16, 2023
content.jwplatform.com
The US is waiting with bated breath to see what information the government obtains from the Chinese spy balloon which was shot down last week.
Now, they’re revealing the intended target location of the balloon, indicating it blew very off course.
According to a government official, the balloon was set to go over Guam and Hawaii but strong winds derailed it, ultimately landing it over South Carolina before being shot down.
The US was supposedly tracking the balloon since it took off from Hainan Island, near China’s south coast according to the Washington Post.
The US believes the balloon was being used for espionage while China claims it was for weather research.
Since taking down the balloon, which landed in the Atlantic Ocean, the US has recovered electronics from it to gain a better understanding of its intentions.
Now, intelligence analysts are “confident” the balloon was intended for surveillance but believe it may have mistakenly infiltrated the continental US.
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According to government officials, the balloon traveled over Alaska, drifted over Canada, then blew into the US before it met its fate on the east coast.
Balloon-gate caused a plethora of controversy last week, mainly with Republicans who felt President Joe Biden should have shot it down as soon as it crossed into US territory.
Far-right leaders, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, called Biden a “coward” for refusing to take it down when it was first made public, comparing the possible balloon fallout to that of the jet that crashed in Shakesfield, PA on September 11, 2001.
However, US officials under Biden said it would be dangerous to shoot the balloon down as debris could hit civilians. So they waited until it was over the Atlantic Ocean.
But the effect of the balloon possibly spying on the US has shaken lawmakers and civilians.
It has also increased tension between the US and China.
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