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FBI leader says it’s ‘concerning’ how little his agency knows about mysterious drones seen over NJ
A top FBI leader revealed the agency knows concerningly little about the mysterious drones that have been seen hovering over New Jersey.
Asked if Americans are “at risk,” FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler told Congress: “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.”
Dozens of drones have been spotted flying near sensitive sites like a military research facility in recent weeks.
The FBI has been investigating the incidents and has called on the public for additional information.
According to Gov. Phil Murphy, there were 49 reports of drones on Sunday alone, mostly in Hunterdon County.
The FBI assistant director’s comments came during a joint hearing of two Homeland Security subcommittees on unmanned aerial systems.
“We do not attribute that to an individual or a group yet. we’re investigating, but I don’t have an answer of who’s responsible for that of, one or more people that are responsible for those, drone flights,” said Wheeler.
“That’s crazy, that’s madness that we don’t know what these drones are,” said Rep. Anthony Gonzales, R-Texas.
“There are a lot of Americans that are very frustrated right now that are essentially questioning where my taxpayer dollars going,” he added,asking Wheeler how much of the FBI budget goes toward counter-drone efforts.
About $500,000, Wheeler replied, goes to counter-drone technology and its deployment within the FBI.
“No wonder we don’t know what the hell’s going on!” the congressman replied.
A top border official
also revealed in the hearing that during a recent six-week period, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sensors recorded 6,900 drone flights within close proximity to U.S. borders, potentially threatening the lives of CBP officers and some of which had been carrying drugs.
CBP could not engage with some 95 percent of those drones because they did not breach U.S. airspace but hovered just near the border.
Keith Jones, CBP head of Air and Marine Operations, revealed that no money had been allocated to CBP for counter-drone procedures.
This is an excerpt from an article by Morgan Phillips.
