US military shoots down ‘car-sized’ object off Alaska coast

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House (Susan Walsh/AP)

The US military has shot down an unknown object flying in US airspace off the coast of Alaska, White House officials said.

The object was flying at about 40,000ft on Friday and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman.