This was the first time a NORAD operation downed an aerial object,” Says Anita Anand
Trudeau directed that the object be shot down by whichever country arrived first, and an American F-22 did so at 3:41 p.m. ET.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says teams are working to “find and analyze” an object shot down on Saturday, which he describes as a “reasonable threat” to civil aviation.
He said in a brief statement on Sunday morning, “The safety of Canadians is our No. 1 priority, that’s why I made the decision to shoot down the object. It was a threat to civil aviation and a potential threat to Canadians.”
The prime minister spoke from the Ottawa airport before departing for Whitehorse, Yukon. The trip follows Trudeau’s decision to shoot down an “unidentified object” over the territory the day before. The trip was pre-planned and unrelated to the events on Saturday.
According to a senior government source with direct knowledge of the situation, the federal government was first notified of the object on Friday night, while it was still traveling through Alaska.
Trudeau directed that the object be shot down by whichever country arrived first, and an American F-22 did so at 3:41 p.m. ET.
“To the best of our knowledge, this was the first time a NORAD operation downed an aerial object,” Defense Minister Anita Anand said at a press conference on Saturday.
Prabhnoor Kaur