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Breaking: United States shoots downs Chinese balloon

Chinese spy balloon flying above Charlotte CHARLOTTE, USA - FEBRUARY 4: Chinese spy balloon flies above in Charlotte NC, United States on February 04, 2023. The Pentagon announced earlier that it is tracking a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon above the continental US. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said the balloon was a âcivilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes." (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Read: Chinese balloon: US shoots down balloon

An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.

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Ahead of the downing, President Joe Biden said: “We’re going to take care of it,” when asked by reporters about the balloon.

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