Alaskan fishermen deliver suspected spy balloon to FBI, recovered debris to be investigated

Fishermen off the coast of US’ Alaska stumbled upon what authorities fear might be a spy balloon, even though the details are yet to be investigated, media reports said citing sources.

The fishermen reportedly encountered the mysterious object and opted to bring it ashore. Now, once the fishing vessel arrives at the port sometime during the weekend, FBI agents will probe into it to see what it really is and if indeed it is a spy balloon.

The object, whose nature remains uncertain, will be transported to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. There, the balloon will be analysed. Reports indicated that upon encountering the object, the fishermen promptly shared photographs with law enforcement.

While the exact identity of the object remains elusive, the FBI deemed it similar enough to foreign-government surveillance balloons and thus said that it required a full investigation.