An image of a UFO that was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet over Canada last year was released Wednesday.
The blurry photo, which appears to be a photocopy of an email printout, of the unidentified cylindrical object was captured as it hovered in the air in February 2023, days before it was shot down over Canada’s Yukon Territory, which borders Alaska, according to CTVNews.
The news outlet obtained the image through an information request from Canada’s Department of National Defence.
The object initially drifted from Alaska into Canadian airspace. The North American Aerospace Defense Command first detected the “high-altitude airborne object” flying at about 40,000 feet over Alaska and scrambled jets to monitor it.
It was shot down on Feb. 11, 2023, and was one of three aerial objects brought down that month after the downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon days earlier.
All three objects were smaller than the Chinese spy balloon that drifted from Alaska across the U.S. before it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023.
“Yesterday afternoon, I also spoke with President Biden and confirmed together that we will continue to do everything necessary to protect the sovereignty of our shared North American airspace but also to do everything necessary to keep our citizens safe,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time.
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A U.S. F-22 Raptor fired an AIM 9X missile to down the object. It was believed to be a “small metallic balloon with a tethered payload.”
Biden later said the three objects were not related to the Chinese spy craft incident.
The image of the UFO was initially declassified in Canada and approved for public release before the acting assistant deputy minister for public affairs questioned whether the public should be allowed to view it, according to the news outlet.
“Should the image be released, it would be via the [Canadian armed forces] social media accounts,” the official wrote in an internal email. “Given the current public environment and statements related to the object being benign, releasing the image may create more questions/confusion, regardless of the text that will accompany the post.”
Officials held back the release pending “U.S. engagement.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Canadian Department of National Defence.
