Two people have been arrested after allegedly conducting a “hazardous drone operation” near the airspace of the US city of Boston’s main airport, police said.
Robert Duffy, 42, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, were arrested on Long Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands, on Saturday night.
They were charged with trespassing and police said they may face further counts and fines over the drones, which were “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport. Their arrests follow a series of drone sightings across the US north-east in recent weeks. Police have given no indication that the sightings are connected to these arrests.
Police said the incident in Boston occurred at 16:30 local time (21:30 GMT) on Saturday when a police officer detected a drone operating “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport.
Police said they identified the drone’s location and tracked the operators’ position to a decommissioned health campus on Long Island. Because of the drone’s proximity to an airport, FBI counter-terrorism agents helped the investigation.
When officers arrived on the scene, police said three people attempted to flee, two of whom – Mr Duffy and Mr Folcik – were apprehended. A drone was discovered in a backpack carried by Mr Duffy, police said.
The third suspect is believed to have fled the island in a small vessel and has not so far been found.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr Duffy and Mr Folcik had legal representation. Police said they were yet to be arraigned.
Source: BBC