On video: the interception of the Chinese balloon over the Atlantic Ocean/Reuters
The United States Army intercepted a small balloon tonight (Saturday) over the state of Utah in the Midwest of the country.
The balloon was spotted last night cruising in the skies of the western United States.
A senior American official stated that the balloon does not pose a threat to the national security of the United States or to the activity of civil aviation and that it had no steering capabilities at the time of the interception.
The incident takes place a year after a Chinese balloon carrying spy equipment flew over the Arab countries for several days.
In the same incident, China's Foreign Ministry claimed that the balloon was intended to collect weather data and "deviated far from its planned route" due to strong winds.
Finally the US military shot him down off the coast of South Carolina.
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