Mexico City, May 3 (EFE).- The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, revealed this Wednesday that he prevented US military aircraft and drones from flying over Mexican territory this week to combat an alleged spy balloon from Asia.
“They spoke to the (Secretary of) Defense from the Pentagon to request permission because they wanted to fly over our airspace with planes and drones of a high military technological level because they had detected a balloon that came from Hawaii and was going to pass through Mexico, and they assured that it was a balloon that came from Asia”, narrated López Obrador.
“Then the answer was: no, we do not allow those drones and aircraft to enter our airspace,” the president added at his daily press conference.
The president explained that the balloon was flying at a height of 35,000 feet above the permitted air navigation height.
The authorities suspected that the device was going to enter last Monday at 3:00 local time (9:00 GMT) through the port of Manzanillo, in the Pacific, and was going to cross through Mexican territory to Tamaulipas, a state on the Gulf of Mexico.
“It happened, but we did not detect anything, nor did they inform us that they had seen it, a query was made to see if it had more elements and no,” said López Obrador.
The episode comes as concern over unidentified flying objects (UFOs) has grown in the United States since last December 4, when US authorities shot down a Chinese spy balloon.
Since then, more balloons and other suspicious objects have been sighted, further straining US-China relations.
But the Mexican ruler warned that the relationship with the United States is one of “cooperation yes, subordination or submission no.”
For this reason, he denied them flying over Mexico and offered that the Mexican Armed Forces would take care of the object.
“(I told them) we are going to agree, send us the information and we have equipment to carry out the follow-up. And indeed, an operation was carried out with planes and drones,” the president said.
The refusal occurs while López Obrador raises his criticism of the Pentagon after revealing espionage documents last month that showed US intelligence on the friction between the Army and the Navy of Mexico due to the increase in the powers of the military.
The president asked the United States Congress on Wednesday to investigate this espionage.
