The U.S. Justice Department has arrested a Chinese national, Yinpiao Zhou, for allegedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Authorities apprehended Zhou just as he was about to board a flight to China from San Francisco, following accusations that he had recorded images of the military facility.
This defendant is alleged to have flown a drone over a military base and photographed the base’s layout, in violation of the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. He promised that he will do everything possible to protect the nation’s men and women in uniform and the facilities where they work. The incident prompted the Chinese Foreign Ministry to say it was “not aware of the situation.
The incident came to light in late November when the detection systems at Vandenberg were tracking a drone flying about one mile above the facility. The base has been serving as a launch site for space missions, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, along with carrying out missile testing.
Authorities eventually traced the drone to Zhou himself, who was seen hiding it in his jacket at a nearby public park. Following the arrest, agents executed a search warrant and looked at the drone, which had aerial photographs of the base.
Zhou, a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, last visited China in February. He pleaded not guilty at an appearance in federal court in San Francisco on charges of failing to register an aircraft and national defense airspace violation. Zhou is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the next few weeks and is being held in custody while prosecutors appeal the court’s decision granting him bail.
