FAA orders ground stop at 3 US airports to support ‘national security effort’ where suspected spy balloon was last seen

Update: American warplanes shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon and the FAA ended the ground arrest. Read the latest here.

Arrivals and departures from three U.S. airports were suspended for more than an hour Saturday afternoon when the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop to “support the Department of Defense in a national security effort.”

The FAA has confirmed to CBS News that flights to and from Wilmington International Airport, Myrtle Beach International Airport and Charleston International Airport have been halted until at least 2:45 p.m. SATURDAY. The agency also “closed additional airspace.”

Two US officials have told The Associated Press that the Biden administration is moving forward with a plan to drop the balloon once it is over the Atlantic Ocean, where the remains could be recovered. .

President Joe Biden said earlier on Saturday that the United States would “handle” the ball, but did not elaborate on what that might mean. The two US officials told The Associated Press that Biden had given the go-ahead for the operation.

Reports and verified photos on social media show the Suspected Chinese spy balloonwhich carries surveillance equipment and was first spotted over Montana on Thursday, was recently in the skies over the South Carolina area.

China has acknowledged that the high-altitude balloon belongs to Beijing, but called it a civilian device “used for scientific research such as meteorology” which derailed.

A second ball would have been insight into latin america.

This is a developing story and will be updated.