Circular Object Center-Crosshair, Source Redacted
FBI Photo A3
FBI-submitted single monochrome still image of a dark, circular UAP centered on a crosshair reticle, derived from a redacted U.S. government system with no accompanying mission report or location data.
Brief
The FBI forwarded one monochrome still image to AARO depicting a dark, circular object positioned exactly at the center of a crosshair reticle against a textured background described as possibly consistent with ground terrain. The date and location of the event were withheld, and the source imagery was redacted prior to submission. No mission report accompanied the filing. The operator who captured the image was unable to positively identify the object.
Metadata
- Agency
- FBI
- Release
- 5/8/26
- Incident
- Late 2025
- Type
- IMAGE • .png
- Classification
- UNCLASSIFIED
- Programs
- AARO
- Tags
- circular object, monochrome imagery, crosshair reticle, ground terrain, late 2025, AARO submission, redacted imagery, FBI
Key points
- FBI submitted the image directly to AARO as a UAP report; no mission report was included, making the submission procedurally incomplete by standard AARO reporting norms.
- The original imagery was altered with redactions before submission — the unredacted source has not been released.
- The operator could not positively identify the UAP.
- The dark, circular object is positioned exactly at the center of the crosshair reticle, indicating the imaging system was tracking the object at the moment of capture.
- Neither the date nor the geographic location of the event has been disclosed.
Most interesting
- The object's exact centering on the crosshair reticle suggests the operator had the UAP actively tracked — this is not a peripheral detection but a direct, deliberate acquisition.
- The absence of a mission report is structurally unusual: AARO submissions are typically accompanied by operator narratives; this filing contains only the image.
- FBI routing the report to AARO directly — rather than through DoD channels — implies the originating sensor system may sit within a domestic law-enforcement or intelligence platform rather than a military one.
- The monochrome rendering and mottled ground-texture background are consistent with a downward-looking electro-optical or IR sensor, though the document does not specify the sensor type.
- The description's own disclaimer notes that nothing in its narrative 'reflect[s] an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination' — an unusually explicit hedge that signals the release office is distancing itself from any implied interpretation.