At least three unidentified flying objects (UFOs) over North American territory were shot down this past weekend. 

After an unexpected Chinese “spy” balloon was brought down by the United States (US) military over the US-Canadian border, at least two more known UFOs were shot down over the span of two days over Alaska, and Michigan consecutively. 

According to officials, the balloon was first sighted by Pentagon officials on Jan. 28. The sighting initiated waves of concern on Capitol Hill and led to the cancellation of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China amid strained relations between the two countries.

The Chinese government denied the balloon was intended for surveillance purposes and stated the object was a “civilian airship” collecting “weather information.”

The balloon has reportedly worsened political tensions between the two nations. 

According to NPR, “China expressed anger after the US shot down a huge balloon [it claimed] was a civilian airship.”

With at least two more UFO shootings after the balloon, the diplomatic dispute between the two powers has only intensified. 

Chinese officials continue to deny allegations of surveillance, and assert that the US flew spy balloons into their airspace more than 10 times since Jan. 2022, a claim that US authorities quickly denied.

These sightings also added to speculation over the origins and purpose of previous UFOs.

White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, raised these concerns during a briefing on Monday after the US shot down three unidentified objects.

During the briefing, Pierre stated, “there is no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns.” 

Even before the recent incidents, Scott Bray, deputy director of US Naval Intelligence, revealed video evidence confirming the legitimacy of over 400 UFO sightings and 11 direct encounters with unidentified aerial phenomenons (UAPs). 

This, along with recent events, prompted government officials, the scientific community, and members of the public to theorize about the UFO sightings.

The most famous of these was the United States Ship (USS) Nimitz incident in which Navy fighter pilots saw and recorded footage of a “tic tac” like object maneuvering through the sky in ways impossible for contemporary aircrafts.

People have also raised concerns about whether UFOs are the result of advanced manmade technologies unknown to the public, or visits by an undiscovered intelligent form of life from outer space. 

Some members of the scientific community have dismissed claims of UFOs being extraterrestrial in nature. 

Harvard University professor and astrophysicist Avi Loeb, claims investigations into the possibility of extraterrestrial UAPs are ignored and neglected because of their depiction in popular entertainment as well as baseless conspiracy theories.

According to Loeb, UFOs being an extraterrestrial influence is implausible, however, alternative plausible theories are bogged down by the public perception of UFOs.

While the balloon first spotted is identified to be from China, further investigation is still being conducted in regard to the sources of the other UFOs.