United States Attorney General's Office released Press statement regarding the arrest of a Chinese national on suspicion of taking photos of a military base with a drone in November.
Officials at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County were alerted to the presence of drones flying over the base on Nov. 30 using drone detection technology, according to the affidavit. Detectors showed the drone flew about a mile above the base for an hour and was launched from a public area near the base called Ocean Park.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base's layout, which is in violation of the law.”
Base security personnel went to the marine park and encountered Impiao Chow, 39, of Brentwood. He had a drone hidden inside his jacket, and it was said to be the same as the one detected above the base.
After obtaining a federal search warrant, a search of the drone revealed an aerial photo of Vandenberg Space Force Base. Investigators also learned that Zhou searched for “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Regulations” online and messaged another person about hacking the zone to allow it to fly higher than its intended flight range. He also said that he had sent it.
Mr. Zhou, a Chinese national and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was charged with violating national national airspace and failing to register an aircraft that does not provide transportation.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of its layout, which is a violation of the law,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “The safety of our nation is of paramount importance, and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation's service members and facilities.”
Mr. Chou was arrested at the San Francisco airport on Monday as he was about to board a flight to China.
If convicted, Chou could be sentenced to the statutory maximum of four years in federal prison.
On Wednesday, New Jersey Representative Jefferson Van Drew said a mysterious large drone flying over New Jersey's skies could be a Chinese-made aircraft flown by Iran and called for it to be shot down. I asked for it.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
