This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31632253
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Paris police arrest al-Jazeera journalists over drone | Paris police arrest al-Jazeera journalists over drone |
(35 minutes later) | |
Three al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested for the alleged illegal flying of a drone in Paris after being spotted by police in the Bois de Boulogne area. | |
A spokesman for prosecutors said there was "no relationship for the moment" between the arrests and mysterious drone flights over the city at night. | |
Drones flew over the Eiffel Tower and other landmarks five times for a second night running on Tuesday. | |
Flying drones over Paris without a license is banned by law. | |
The offense carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a €75,000 (£55,000; $85,000) fine. | |
A judicial source told AFP news agency of the three people arrested: "The first was piloting the drone, the second was filming and the third was watching." | |
The names and nationalities of the journalists have not been released. Al-Jazeera is a Qatar-based satellite TV channel. | The names and nationalities of the journalists have not been released. Al-Jazeera is a Qatar-based satellite TV channel. |
It is against the law for any aircraft to fly lower than 6,000m (19,700ft) over central Paris. Flying any aircraft under that ceiling - including drones, police helicopters and air ambulances - requires permission from city authorities. | |
Flying a drone at night is banned completely. | |
In October, a 24-year-old Israeli tourist was fined €400 (£293) and spent a night in jail after flying a drone over the city's historic Hotel Dieu hospital and a police station | |
Unidentified drones have been spotted across the country in the past year, most recently over the presidential palace and a bay in Brittany that houses nuclear submarines, as well as over nuclear power plants. | Unidentified drones have been spotted across the country in the past year, most recently over the presidential palace and a bay in Brittany that houses nuclear submarines, as well as over nuclear power plants. |
The French authorities have opened an inquiry into the flights but government spokesman Stephane Le Foll has dismissed them as a security concern. | |
"There is nothing to worry about," he told reporters. |