That sounds like espionage to me.
I already guessed it would involve a Chinese national before even reading the details.
If he’s a spy, he should be treated like one.
The drone flew over the base for nearly an hour, reaching an altitude of almost a mile. Zhou was questioned by security at a nearby park where the drone originated. Authorities later found photos of the base on his drone and evidence on his phone that he had researched drone rules for the base and discussed modifying his drone to fly higher.
@Branley
This is not going to end well for him.
This reminds me of the case where a Chinese student was caught flying a drone over military shipyards. These cases never seem to have light consequences.
@Ming
Yeah, that student got six months in prison. It’s serious, but not the worst outcome he could’ve faced.
At least this administration is taking it seriously by charging him and keeping him in custody. Let’s see how this plays out.
What could he possibly see from a mile up that isn’t already visible on satellite images?
Teagan said:
What could he possibly see from a mile up that isn’t already visible on satellite images?
Good question. I was wondering the same thing.
The base is detailed on Google Maps already. What was he trying to photograph?
Lior said:
The base is detailed on Google Maps already. What was he trying to photograph?
Maybe he wanted next season’s space pants photos?
Some people really don’t think before doing things like this.
What does a drone at that altitude capture that satellites can’t? This doesn’t add up.
He’s a Chinese national, not just some random ‘California man.’
They should throw the book at him and deport him after serving time.
It’s odd that they caught this guy so quickly, but in New Jersey, there are drones flying over sensitive areas, and no one seems to know who’s behind it.
Payne said:
It’s odd that they caught this guy so quickly, but in New Jersey, there are drones flying over sensitive areas, and no one seems to know who’s behind it.
Do we really believe that the authorities don’t know who’s operating those drones? I doubt it.
Payne said:
It’s odd that they caught this guy so quickly, but in New Jersey, there are drones flying over sensitive areas, and no one seems to know who’s behind it.
Those drones in New Jersey are reportedly much larger than regular consumer drones. They’re not the same as this guy’s modified drone.