U.S. shoots down 'high-altitude object' over Alaskan airspace, White House says

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military on Friday afternoon shot down a "high-altitude object" flying over Alaskan airspace and Arctic waters, National Security Council official John Kirby confirmed at the White House. “We’re calling this an object because that’s the best description we have right now,” Kirby told reporters during the White House briefing. "The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight," Kirby told reporters during the White House briefing. Fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command took down the object "within the last hour," Kirby said around 2:30 p.m. Gen. Patrick Ryder provided additional details at a briefing with reporters, noting that the object was shot down at 1:45 p.m.