Fishermen delivering possible spy balloon to FBI in Alaska

CNN —

Commercial fishermen off the coast of Alaska have found what officials are concerned could be another spy balloon and are bringing it to shore with them, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

FBI agents will meet the fishing vessel when it comes into port, which is expected to be sometime over the weekend. The bureau will then transport the unknown object to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, to be analyzed, as has been done with previous surveillance balloons.

The fishmen shared photographs of the object with law enforcement upon encountering it, the sources said. All three sources emphasized that it wasn’t clear exactly what the object was and that it may not be a balloon at all — but that the FBI determined that it was similar enough in appearance to a foreign-government owned surveillance balloon that it warranted further investigation.

The FBI said in a statement Friday night it is “aware of debris found off the coast of Alaska by a commercial fishing vessel. We will work with our partners to assist with the logistics of the debris recovery.”

CNN was unable to identify the fishing vessel.

The existence of high-altitude surveillance balloons burst into US consciousness last year, when a Chinese spy balloon appeared to blow off course and transited across the continental US. That balloon entered US territory through Alaskan airspace.

The US assessed that the spy balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, as CNN reported at the time. The balloon fleet, according to US officials, had conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.

China appeared to suspend the program following the episode, and it’s not clear