High-altitude object shot down off Alaska, US says

US President Joe Biden ordered a fighter jet to shoot down an unidentified "high-altitude object" off Alaska on Friday, the White House says.

Spokesman John Kirby said the unmanned object was "the size of a small car" and posed a "reasonable threat" to civilian aviation.

The object's purpose and origin was unclear, Mr Kirby said.

It comes a week after the American military destroyed a Chinese balloon over US territorial waters.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, Mr Kirby said the debris field of the object shot down on Friday was "much, much smaller" than the balloon shot down last Saturday off the coast of South Carolina.

He said that the object was flying at 40,000ft (12,000m) over the northern coast of Alaska. read more