Unidentified Drones Seen Over Paris for the Second Consecutive Night

On Wednesday, March 6, French police reported that unidentified drones flew over Paris for the second consecutive night. According to Agence France-Presse, this is not the first time drone flights have been reported in France. Last year, such drones were spotted over a nuclear power plant, the presidential palace, and near a submarine base in Brittany. French officials, who have been unable to capture these drones, still do not know whether the operators have tourism and recreational goals or destructive intentions. Drone flights are prohibited by law in Paris, and security measures in the country have been intensified following last month's terrorist attacks. A police official told Agence France-Presse that eyewitnesses and security personnel reported five sightings of drones on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, which may relate to one or several different drones. The official added that these small aircraft were seen near the U.S. Embassy, the War Museum, the Eiffel Tower, and several other locations in the French capital. The French police have launched investigations into five separate reports of drone flights from the previous night and those who are operating them. One of the Paris police chiefs said, 'Is this a game? Or reconnaissance and preparation for future operations? Investigations will show us.' French officials first encountered the mystery of unidentified drones over French skies in October last year. The EDF energy company informed the police about an unidentified drone flying over seven nuclear power plants. This event repeated until November, reaching 20 sightings, while the police have been unable to identify the perpetrators. In October last year, an Israeli tourist was arrested for operating a drone over Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and was fined $450. On January 20, shortly after the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 17 dead, a drone was seen over the presidential palace. A police source said, 'Currently, many sensitive locations are protected, and we have asked responsible officials to keep an eye on the sky as well.' France has launched a program with a budget of one million dollars to develop identification technology and solve the problem of tracking drones. Small unmanned aircraft are built in various sizes and for various purposes, ranging from military and espionage to research, scientific, recreational, and sports uses. The simplest type of these devices is controlled by radio waves from a short distance, while more complex types are operated by computer programs from several kilometers away.