The U.S. Attorney General’s Office announced that a Chinese citizen has been arrested for allegedly taking photos of a military base with a drone.
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was accused of flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base. He has been charged with “failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace,” the AG’s office said.
Zhou’s arrest came as he attempted to board a plane bound for China at San Francisco International Airport. The press release explains Zhou is a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent residence of the United States. He most recently returned to the U.S. from China in February.
According to a December 8 affidavit, Zhou flew the drone over the Vandenberg Space Force Base for approximately one hour, traveling nearly one mile above ground level.
Security personnel found Zhou at a public park and later obtained the drone’s contents through a federal search warrant. After searching his cell phone, investigators discovered that Zhou had conducted a Google search for “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules.”
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”
Fengyun Shi, a student at the University of Minnesota, was arrested earlier this year after taking photographs of Navy vessels. He pleaded guilty to taking unlawful photos of classified navy installations and was sentenced to six months in prison.
