Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) claimed on Wednesday that anonymous sources have told him the mysterious drones spotted flying over New Jersey are being launched by Iran from a “mothership” located off the eastern coast of the United States.
During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News, Drew said, “From very high sources, very qualified sources, very responsible sources, I’m going to tell you the real deal: Iran launched a mothership, probably about a month ago, that contains these drones. It’s off the east coast of the United States of America.”
The U.S. representative told Fox News that originally there was a possibility that the mysterious drones could have been launched by the U.S. government, but that “we know it’s not our own government because they would have let us know.” Drew also said the drones were likely not launched by a “really glorified hobbyist or hobbyists” because they “don’t have the technology.”
“The third possibility was somebody, an adversarial country, doing this,” Drew said. “Know that Iran made a deal with China to purchase drones, motherships, and technology in order to go forward.”
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While Drew told Fox News that he could not disclose the identity of his sources, he claimed that the sources were “good.” The New Jersey representative also warned that the mysterious drones need to be “shot down.”
“Whether it was some crazy hobbyist that we can’t imagine, or whether it is Iran, and I think it very possibly could be, they should be shot down,” Drew added. “We are not getting the full deal, and the military is on alert with this.”
The Republican lawmaker’s claim comes just one day after members of the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing regarding the mysterious drones flying over New Jersey.
According to The Daily Mail, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating the drone sightings that have been reported by multiple witnesses, FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler confirmed that the agency does not know the source of the drones.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) asked Wheeler, “You’re telling me we don’t know what the hell these drones in New Jersey are?” Wheeler answered the congressman, saying, “That’s right.”
“That’s crazy! I mean, that’s crazy,” Gonzales said. “That’s madness that we don’t know what these drones are.”
