The pranksters were accused of starting World War III.
YouTubers Josh Pieters and Archie Manners risked starting a war after they flew a makeshift 'spy balloon' over the Chinese embassy in London amid the spy balloon scandal between the US and China. According to a New York Post report, the pranksters were accused of starting World War III.
In the YouTube video, the duo can be heard saying that since the "Chinese embassy is legally considered to be China, we have decided to fly a balloon over Chinese airspace".
The pair bought a massive weather balloon off Ebay and helium from another shop. They also bought a 'spy camera' for their prank. They conducted a trial with a balloon and rope.
The pair decided to do this prank in a response to the ongoing US-China spat.
In the viral video, the 29-year-olds flew the weather balloon with a GoPro attached above the embassy in Marylebone, reported Metro. The pair jokes, "This is one of the United Kingdom's most highly secured buildings", they said. As the camera moves towards the embassy's windows, Josh Pieters claims to hold many dark secrets and they filmed a man on call on the roof.
Watch the video here:
A police van soon arrived with its sirens blaring. One officer said that people inside the embassy might find the stunt 'offensive' but Archie said that it was not their intention. The pair popped the balloon and left without an issue, the Metro reported.
The US military shot down a Chinese surveillance craft floating over sensitive installations in the country.
According to the daily, in recent years, at least four balloons have been spotted over Hawaii, Florida, Texas and Guam -- in addition to the one track last week.
Three of the four instances took place during the Trump administration but were only recently identified as Chinese surveillance airships, it said.
The Pentagon on Tuesday released a series of pictures recovering the high-altitude surveillance balloon.