Chinese spy balloon recovery operation has concluded

    (CNN) -- Recovery operations have concluded for the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this month, the US military said in a statement Friday.

The recovery effort ended after "U.S. Navy assets assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully located and retrieved debris" from the balloon, the statement from US Northern Command said.

"Final pieces of debris are being transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Virginia for counterintelligence exploitation, as has occurred with the previous surface and subsurface debris recovered. U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard vessels have departed the area. Air and maritime safety perimeters have been lifted," the statement added.

This story is breaking and will be updated.