Police zero in on U.K. drone threat
PAIR HELD FOR SUSPECTED ‘CRIMINAL USE OF DRONES’ AFTER TURMOIL AT U.K. AIRPORT
U.K. police say two people have been arrested for suspected “criminal use of drones” in the Gatwick Airport case. Sussex police said early Saturday morning the two arrests were made around 10 p.m. Friday night.
Police did not release the age or gender of the two suspects and did not say where the arrests were made. The two have not been charged.
Police have been searching for the drone operators since drones first appeared above the busy airport south of central London on Wednesday evening.
Tens of thousands of travellers were stranded or delayed by the prolonged shutdown of the airport due to safety concerns.
Flights resumed Friday morning except for a 70-minute hiatus when they were shut down after a drone was spotted Friday evening.
Detectives are understood to have drawn up a shortlist of potential culprits after the pilot gave vital clues away by audaciously flying the drone right up to the air traffic control tower.
In a move known as “buzzing the tower,” it emerged on Friday that the perpetrator had taunted airport staff by circling the drone around the building and flashing its lights, an industry source told The Daily Telegraph.
A detailed description of the drone, provided by witnesses, meant experts were able to determine the make and model of the machine, which is only available from a handful of locations in the U.K.