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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) submitted a report to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of a single, redacted still image of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP), according to records released by the U.S. Department of War. The document, titled “FBI Photo B13,” was made public on May 8, 2026, as part of the PURSUE archive and describes an incident that occurred in late 2025 in the Western United States.
Document Details and Official Description
The official description accompanying the release states that the FBI submitted a report of a UAP to AARO, the Pentagon’s office for investigating such phenomena, which included a still image derived from a U.S. military system. The original imagery was altered with redactions before being submitted, and an accompanying mission report was not provided. The operator reported that they were unable to positively identify the UAP. The record also notes that the date in the image is incorrect due to the system’s date and time not being set.
A narrative description of the image, provided for informational purposes only, describes a monochrome image with a grainy texture and a simplified central crosshair. Two small, dark, elongated objects are visible near the center of the frame in the bottom right quadrant. The document explicitly states that readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. The document text excerpt includes a partial timestamp reading “12131199 18:19:5~,” though the official summary notes the date is incorrect due to system settings.
The record’s official summary offers limited detail beyond the basic facts of the submission and the image’s characteristics. No analysis or conclusion regarding the nature of the objects is provided by the FBI or AARO in the released material.
Broader Context of the PURSUE Release
Per a Wikipedia summary of the “United States UFO files” entry, the release of “FBI Photo B13” is part of a larger, ongoing effort. The Wikipedia entry notes that the United States UFO files, also referred to as the UFO files or the UAP files, are a collection of declassified United States government records concerning UFOs, also called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). These records were released by the administration of Donald Trump beginning on May 8, 2026, and were announced to continue as repeated, ongoing, expanding releases of UFO materials.
This context places the FBI document within a broader government initiative to declassify and release records related to UAPs. The PURSUE archive, hosted at war.gov, serves as the primary repository for these materials. The release of “FBI Photo B13” on the same day as the initial announcement suggests that the FBI’s submission to AARO was among the first documents made available to the public under this program.
What Remains Unanswered
Several key questions remain unanswered by the released document. The official description does not specify the type of military system that captured the original imagery, nor does it explain the nature of the redactions applied to the image before submission to AARO. The absence of an accompanying mission report means that operational context—such as the duration of the sighting, the actions taken by the operator, or any sensor data beyond the still image—is not available in this release.
The document also does not clarify why the system date and time were not set, leaving the precise timing of the incident uncertain. The identity of the two dark, elongated objects visible in the image remains unknown, and no analysis from AARO or the FBI regarding their potential characteristics has been included in the release.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases, which the Wikipedia summary indicates will be ongoing and expanding. Subsequent documents may provide additional context for this incident, including mission reports or unredacted versions of the imagery, as well as new records from other agencies that could shed further light on UAP encounters reported to the Pentagon’s AARO office.

























