FBI: CBP shot laser at Valentine’s balloons it thought were drones

Customs and Border Protection officers used a high-powered laser borrowed from the Defense Department to shoot down four “Happy Valentine’s” balloons they thought were cartel drones over El Paso, Texas, according to an internal FBI document.

The border agency used the counterdrone laser to shoot down the four balloons “without proper prior coordination,” according to the document, which was read to MS NOW by a U.S. official. That led the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly shut down the airspace for several hours, reopening it Wednesday morning.

The Trump administration had offered conflicting explanations for the closure, attributing it to Mexican cartel drones they said breached U.S. airspace.

Two congressional officials who were briefed on the matter early Wednesday were told the U.S. military was planning a test on a base in the area for a high-energy laser that could be used against drones. The FAA then issued a 10-day closure Tuesday night for air traffic in the area upon learning about those plans, the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told MS NOW.

But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA and the Defense Department “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.”

The internal FBI document undercut those explanations Thursday, revealing the threat to be floating holiday decorations. CBP downed the balloons via laser strike without coordinating with other key agencies, according to the document. Upon learning of the strikes, the FAA immediately shutdown the airspace above El Paso. 

U.S. Northern Command was unaware that CBP had conducted the strike, according to the FBI document. 

The border agency’s use of the military’s laser has been put on hold pending discussions about proper coordination, the document states.

El Paso officials said Wednesday they were not given advance notice from the FAA and were unaware of what caused the seven-hour closure.

“This unnecessary decision has caused chaos and confusion in the El Paso community. I want to be very, very clear that this should have never happened,” Mayor Renard Johnson said Wednesday. “You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city.”