Mystery After Missile Fired Off California
A mysterious missile being fired off the southern Californian coast has been caught on camera - but it has not been confirmed who launched it or why
The spectacular footage was taken by a news helicopter and the missile's trail could be seen from Los Angeles.
The location was described as west of Los Angeles, north of Catalina Island, and about 35 miles out to sea.
A US Navy spokesperson said it was not their missile, adding there was no navy activity reported in that part of the region.
The air ***** has also said nothing about the launch, which took place around 5pm (local time) on Monday.
Last Friday, Vandenberg Air ***** Base in California launched a Delta II rocket, carrying the Thales Alenia Space-Italia COSMO SkyMed satellite.
But a sergeant at the base said there have been no launches since then.
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It is not known who fired the missile
Military officials said a planned military exercise would not have been held that close to LA.
Officials were also examining the possibility it was a "commercial launch of some kind", or that amateurs had built a device capable of creating such a plume, according to a report.
Robert Ellsworth, former US ambassador to Nato and an ex-deputy secretary of defence, said: "It's spectacular… It takes people's breath away."
He called the projectile "a big missile" but said it did not appear to be a Tomahawk.
Mr Ellsworth said it might have been a missile test timed as a demonstration of American military might as President Obama tours Asia.
"It could be a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a submarine … to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we can do that," he speculated.
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The missile was caught on camera by a news helicopter
Mr Ellsworth said such tests were carried out in the Atlantic to demonstrate America's power to the Soviets, when there was a Soviet Union.
But he does not believe an ICBM has previously been tested by the US over the Pacific.
At the moment, the mystery over the missile goes on.
See video here
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