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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Richard Luscombe

Object downed by US missile may have been amateur hobbyists’ $12 balloon

Missile United States Joe Biden John Kirby Illinois

A group of amateur balloon enthusiasts in Illinois might have solved the mystery of one of the unknown flying objects shot down by the US military last week, a saga that had captivated the nation.

The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade says one of its hobby craft went “missing in action” over Alaska on 11 February, the same day a US F-22 jet downed an unidentified airborne entity not far away above Canada’s Yukon territory.

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