US President Donald Trump has announced plans to order federal agencies to identify and release government files related to UFOs and extraterrestrial life.
"Given the great public interest, I will ask the Secretary of War and other departments and agencies to begin the process of identifying and releasing government files related to extraterrestrial life and unidentified aerial phenomena," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The announcement follows decades of public calls in the United States for greater transparency on so-called unidentified flying objects and unexplained aerial sightings.
Earlier in the day, Trump also criticised former president Barack Obama over remarks made during a recent podcast.
"I do not know if they are real or not," Trump said, but claimed his predecessor had made "a huge mistake" by referring to the subject.
During the podcast, Obama had jokingly responded to a question about extraterrestrial life by saying, "They are real, but I have not seen them." He also said he was not aware of any secret underground facilities hiding their existence, dismissing conspiracy theories on the subject.
