US fighter jet shoots down unidentified cylindrical object flying over Canada

On Saturday, an American F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the information, saying that the object was shot down over the Yukon territory in the north of the country. Canadian forces are recovering and analyzing the wreckage, Trudeau said.

It was the second such downing in as many days as North America remains on high alert following the week-long Chinese spy balloon saga that has drawn global attention. Commenting on the development, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said the downed object had a cylindrical shape. However, she refused to speculate about the origin of the object.

The object was smaller than the Chinese balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina a week ago, but similar in appearance, Anita Anand said, adding that the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a risk to civilian air traffic. Meanwhile, the Pentagon said the object was detected by the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) over Alaska late on Friday.

US fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska tracked the object as it crossed into Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18s and CP-140s joined the formation. "A US F-22 shot down a target on Canadian territory using an AIM 9X missile after close coordination between US and Canadian authorities," said Pentagon spokesman Brig. General Patrick Ryder was quoted. President Joe Biden authorized the US military to work with Canada to take down the high-altitude craft after a phone call between Biden and Trudeau, the Pentagon said.