By Inti Landauro
PARIS--French authorities Tuesday were trying to hunt down the
pilots of drones that were spotted flying over Paris landmarks and
high-security buildings including the U.S. embassy.
The small, remotely-controlled flying objects were seen
overnight Monday to Tuesday over the U.S. embassy and nearby
Interior Ministry, as well as over the Eiffel tower nearly 2 miles
to the west and Place de la Bastille over 2.5 miles to the
east.
The Paris prosecutor has asked French police to open an
investigation as flying drones over urban areas is banned in
France, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said.
It isn't the first time France has been rattled by suspicious
drone flights. In October last year, highly-secured nuclear power
stations operated by power utility Electricité de France SA were
also buzzed by mysterious drones. Last month, a drone was spotted
flying briefly over the Élysée Palace, President François
Hollande's official residence.
While the investigation in Paris isn't related to antiterrorism,
the flights come as the capital remains on high alert after terror
attacks in January. Soldiers and armed police have maintained a
heavy presence in front of state buildings and embassies around the
capital.
Remote-controlled drones--small, unmanned aerial vehicles--are
available commercially and are popular in France. The array of
drone flights spotted in the country in recent months has raised
concerns that they are being used for surveillance purposes.
An official at the U.S. embassy declined to comment on the drone
flights.
Police have no evidence to explain the purpose of the flights
over Paris, a police officer said. The authorities don't know how
many drones were involved or whether there was any coordination
between the flights, he said.
William Horobin contributed to this article.
Write to Inti Landauro at inti.landauro@wsj.com
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