The newspaper reportedWall Street JournalA Chinese spy balloon that passed over the United States earlier this year used American technology to collect audio and visual information, according to preliminary investigation results.
In a report published on Thursday, the newspaper quoted officials as saying that analysis conducted by several security and intelligence agencies concluded that the plane contained commercially available American equipment, some of which included specialized Chinese sensors and were available for sale online. Photos, videos and other equipment for data collection and transfer to China.
The report added that the results support the idea that the aircraft was designed for reconnaissance and not for weather monitoring purposes, as China has claimed.
But the Wall Street Journal said the balloon did not appear to have sent any information to China on its eight-day trip over Alaska, Canada and some other US border states.
After the U.S. military found and shot down the balloon nearly five months ago in an event that added a new and unexpected twist to the already fraught relationship between the U.S. and China, several security and intelligence agencies, including the FBI, have been examining the wreckage found. ., according to the newspaper.
The White House and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
And last February, the United States shot down a balloon that flew over key military bases, sparking a diplomatic crisis, Reuters reported.
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