New York governor calls for motion on thriller drones after airfield shut down: ‘This has gone too far’ | EUROtoday

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul is looking on Washington to do extra in regards to the mysterious drones noticed in current weeks above the Northeast.

The governor stated in an announcement on Saturday on X that drone exercise prompted officers to close down Stewart Airfield in New Windsor for about an hour final night time.

“This has gone too far,” Hochul stated within the assertion, calling on Congress to go the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, a invoice that may reform drone coverage and hand extra authority over to states.

“Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our criitcal infrastructure and our people,” Hochul added.

The Orange County airport is adjoining to the New York Air National Guard base that homes the a hundred and fifth Airlift Wing, based on The New York Post.

Runways had been closed between 9:40pm and 10:45pm, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey advised the paper, saying there have been “no impacts to flight operations during the closure.”

Hochul isn’t the primary New York official to sound the alarm.

“The people of Staten Island deserve answers, and the people of this city and state and region deserve answers of what the heck is going on,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella stated of current citings about New York City.

Residents and elected officers have been reporting sightings of the drones since final month, significantly in New Jersey.

Hochul’s plea for extra authorities follows a request on Thursday from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for additional efforts to probe the drone phenomenon.

He equally complained that present drone insurance policies left native authorities “hamstrung.”

“This leaves action surrounding the (drones) squarely on the shoulders of the federal government,” Murphy wrote. “More federal resources are needed to understand what is behind this activity.”

Murphy has stated there’s no proof the plane are a nationwide safety or public security threat. The Pentagon has stated they aren’t U.S. army drones.

Defense officers have additionally shot down theories that the drones are coming from an offshore Iranian ship.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejando Mayorkas advised CNN on Friday most of the sightings had been “a case of mistaken identity,” with residents mistaking common plane for drones, and a number of sightings of the identical plane from completely different folks making experiences appear extra widespread than they’re.

Homeland Security is in common contact with New Jersey officers and has deployed consultants and monitoring tools to the state.

“We have not seen any unusual activity. We know of no threat. We know of no nefarious activity,” Mayorkas stated, including “technology has not confirmed any drone sighting.”

President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on Friday, calling on the airborne objects to be shot down.

“Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”