WASHINGTON, DC — "This is utter incompetence. We have no idea where these drones are coming from and have no plan to stop them. This is incomprehensible and should never happen in the United States, but because of the Biden Administration's weakness, we have dealt with these threats multiple times," Rep. August Pfluger (R, TX-11) said on X this morning.
"We are actively investigating," said Robert Wheeler Jr., assistant director of the Critical Incident Response Group for the FBI. He told Pfluger's committee that the FBI is asking citizens to call the FBI tip line to report drone activity. "Call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI for information from the public to help us resolve this," he said.
Pfluger chairs the Department of Homeland Security's subcommittees on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence, and Transportation and Maritime Security that held a hearing about the drone sightings yesterday on Capitol Hill.
"The bureau is actively investigating the unexplained sighting of drone activity over that part of New Jersey, including proximity to sensitive sites and areas of concern," Wheeler responded. "We do not attribute that to an individual or group yet. I don't have an answer of who's responsible, one or more people that are responsible, but we're actively investigating."
According to reports, there have been 3,000 drone sightings from the New Jersey area of which the FBI is aware.
The drone reports started flowing in last month and have raised concern among residents and officials. These unknown flying objects initially were spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a US military research and manufacturing facility, and over Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, according to the UK Guardian.
According to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R, TX-23), the FBI has $500,000 in its budget for counter-drone enforcement. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has no budget for counter-drone measures.
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