A top FBI leader revealed the agency knows concerningly little about the mysterious drones that have been seen hovering over New Jersey.
Asked if Americans are “at risk,” FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler told Congress: “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.”
Dozens of drones have been spotted flying near sensitive sites like a military research facility in recent weeks.
The FBI has been investigating the incidents and has called on the public for additional information.
According to Gov. Phil Murphy, there were 49 reports of drones on Sunday alone, mostly in Hunterdon County.
New Jersey drone sighting map (Fox & Friends/Screengrab)
The FBI assistant director’s comments came during a joint hearing of two Homeland Security subcommittees on unmanned aerial systems.
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“We do not attribute that to an individual or a group yet. we’re investigating, but I don’t have an answer of who’s responsible for that of, one or more people that are responsible for those, drone flights,” said Wheeler.
“That’s crazy, that’s madness that we don’t know what these drones are,” said Rep. Anthony Gonzales, R-Texas.
“There are a lot of Americans that are very frustrated right now that are essentially questioning where my taxpayer dollars going,” he added,asking Wheeler how much of the FBI budget goes toward counter-drone efforts.
About $500,000, Wheeler replied, goes to counter-drone technology and its deployment within the FBI.
“No wonder we don’t know what the hell’s going on!” the congressman replied.
The drone was seen over North Jersey on Tuesday. (Nicholas Lordi)
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A top border official also revealed in the hearing that during a recent six-week period, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sensors recorded 6,900 drone flights within close proximity to U.S. borders, potentially threatening the lives of CBP officers and some of which had been carrying drugs.
CBP could not engage with some 95 percent of those drones because they did not breach U.S. airspace but hovered just near the border.
Keith Jones, CBP head of Air and Marine Operations, revealed that no money had been allocated to CBP for counter-drone procedures.
Some drones as large as SUVS have been spotted hovering in the Garden State skies, as well as smaller, more rapidly maneuverable drones, resembling what’s referred to as “drone motherships” that have been deployed in Ukraine, Russia and China, Fox News contributor Brett Velicovich said.
The motherships launch smaller drones, which do not have the necessary range-antennas to carry them over long distances. That suggests, according to Velicovich, that a foreign adversary could be at play in New Jersey.
New Jersey authorities could not jam the drones due to Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regulations.
Experts had first warned the U.S. lacks a clear counter-drone procedure after 17 unmanned vehicles traipsed into restricted airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last December.
The mystery drones swarmed for more than two weeks. Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do – other than allow the 20-foot-long drones to hover near their classified facilities.
Brad Wiegmann, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security, implored Congress to grant law enforcement agencies greater legal authority to shoot down drones that could be considered threats.
“We need legal authority is that without it, use of the most effective types of drone detection and counter drone technologies could violate criminal laws, including those that prohibit destroying or disabling aircraft in flight and intercepting signals and communication,” he said.
The DOJ’s current counter-drone authorities will lapse in just 10 days, and Wiegmann urged Congress to not only renew them but expand them.
“The two most important issues for us are, number one, broadening the types of sites that law enforcement can protect from nefarious and suspicious drone users. So, for example, to cover as was mentioned in the opening statements, airports, critical infrastructure like power plants and chemical facilities,” he went on.
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“Number two is my colleague from the FBI just mentioned. It’s about empowering state and local law enforcement and operators of critical infrastructure to engage in counter-drone efforts nationwide. This is not a job the federal government can do alone.”
