Don't want drone Chinese stole, let them keep it: Trump

December 18, 2016

Dec 18: President-elect Donald Trump says the US should let China keep the US Navy's unmanned underwater glider that it seized in the South China Sea.

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Trump tweeted Saturday: "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!" His tweet came after the US military announced it had reached an understanding with China for the return of the underwater glider.

On Saturday morning, Trump took to Twitter to blast China for, as he described it, ripping the research drone out of the water.

According to the Pentagon, the drone was seized Thursday while collecting unclassified scientific data in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.

The US military says that through "direct engagement" with the Chinese, it's "secured an understanding" that China's navy will return an underwater glider seized in the South China Sea.

Peter Cook, a spokesman for US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, says in a statement that the US had registered its objection to what the US is calling an "unlawful seizure" of the unmanned submerged device in international waters.

China says its navy seized a US Navy unmanned underwater glider to ensure the "safe navigation of passing ships."

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun issued a statement late Saturday saying that a Chinese navy lifeboat discovered an unknown device in the South China Sea on Thursday. It said, "In order to prevent this device from posing a danger to the safe navigation of passing ships and personnel, the Chinese lifeboat adopted a professional and responsible attitude in investigating and verifying the device."

The statement said that after verifying that the device was an American unmanned submerged device, "China decided to transfer it to the US through appropriate means."

It also accused the US of deploying "ships in China's presence to conduct renaissance and military surveying. China is resolutely opposed to this and requests the US stop such activities."

President-elect Donald Trump has corrected his spelling in a tweet blasting China's seizure of a US Navy unmanned underwater glider.

Trump put out a fresh tweet Saturday saying that the seizure of the drone was an "unprecedented" act. He earlier tweeted that the act was "unpresidented."

Last weekend, Trump tweeted that CNN reports "rediculous" fake news. Hours later, he put out a fresh tweet correcting the spelling to "ridiculous."

According to the Pentagon, the drone was seized Thursday while collecting unclassified scientific data in the South China Sea.

President-elect Donald Trump has blasted China's seizure of a US Navy unmanned underwater glider.

Apparently misspelling "unprecedented," Trump tweeted Saturday: "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act."

Last weekend, Trump was criticized on social media for bad spelling in a tweet in which he accused CNN of reporting "rediculous" fake news. Hours later, he put out a fresh tweet correcting the spelling to "ridiculous."

According to the Pentagon, the drone was seized Thursday while collecting unclassified scientific data in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, about 92 kilometers (57 miles) northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines.

A newspaper published by China's ruling Communist Party is citing a military officer as saying that China and the US are in contact over China's seizure of a US Navy unmanned underwater glider, and that a "smooth resolution" of the matter is expected.

The Global Times said Saturday that a Chinese navy ship discovered what it described as an "unidentified device" Thursday. The US has said it issued a formal diplomatic complaint over the drone's seizure and demanded its return.

According to the Pentagon, the drone was seized while collecting unclassified scientific data in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, about 92 kilometers (57 miles) northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines.

Neither China's foreign nor defense ministries responded to questions from The Associated Press.

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News Network
November 27,2025

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Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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