Mysterious ‘Jellyfish UFO’ raises questions over UK’s involvement in anomalous phenomenon

A peculiar ‘jellyfish UFO’ spotted hovering above a US military base in Iraq is causing a stir, with a former Ministry of Defence (MoD) investigator urging against dismissing it as mere balloons or a camera glitch.

The footage, captured in 2018 and unveiled by investigative filmmaker Jeremy Corbell, showcases a circular object with seemingly dangling appendages gliding over the Middle East, undergoing a bizarre colour transformation from white to grey to black.

Corbell claimed that his sources took significant risks to provide him with the footage, further alleging that the unidentified anomalous phenomenon (now referred to as UAP, the updated term for UFOs) plunged into a lake, remaining submerged for 17 minutes before resurfacing and shooting back into the sky at a 45-degree angle. Witnesses reportedly struggled to detect the object without thermal imaging, implying temperature fluctuations along with its colour changes.

While some sceptics argue that it could be a balloon or a smudge on the camera lens, Nick Pope, who previously led the MoD’s UFO investigations desk, believes the situation is more complex. He stated, “This intriguing footage is hard to categorise,” suggesting that theories involving balloons or camera smudges may not hold if the object indeed entered a body of water and displayed high-speed manoeuvres.

Pope acknowledged the credibility of Jeremy Corbell, who has previously obtained and released authentic military footage. He emphasised the need for further footage verification and confirmation from the Pentagon regarding its authenticity.

The backdrop of increasing congressional interest in UAP adds to the significance of this revelation. Pope, along with other officials worldwide, has been advocating for greater transparency on UAP matters due to growing air safety concerns.

In November, a Freedom of Information Act request unveiled a close encounter between a Ryanair flight and a UFO at Stansted airport, heightening the urgency for more disclosure. Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, founder of Americans for Safe Aerospace, has emphasised the prevalence of UAP within the aerospace community, citing the government’s insufficient sharing of information.

Regarding the ‘jellyfish’ UFO, Pope asserted that the UK should also address questions surrounding its potential involvement, especially if the location was a multinational military base. He urged MPs to inquire about the UK’s presence, any information the MoD might have, and whether UK military surveillance systems have captured similar UAP images globally.

As the global fascination with UFOs continues, the ‘jellyfish UFO’ adds another layer of intrigue to the ongoing discussions and prompts a closer examination of the UK’s stance on anomalous phenomena.