WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government has no evidence that drone sightings reported in New Jersey pose a national security or a public safety threat, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Kirby said the drone sightings highlight an oversight gap, and he urged Congress to pass legislation to expand the ability of authorities to identify and counter drones that are a threat to airports or other critical infrastructure.
“While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authority,” Kirby said.
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating the sightings and working with state and local law enforcement using “numerous detection methods,” Kirby said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it began receiving reports of drone activity near Morris County, New Jersey, on Nov. 18.
Last week, the FBI and New Jersey State Police asked the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River.
“Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft. We have reports from the public and law enforcement dating back several weeks,” the FBI said.
The Pentagon has said an initial assessment had shown the drones were not from another country and that the U.S. military had not shot them down because they did not pose a threat to any military installations.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Rami Ayyub)
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