Riyadh to regulate use of recreational drones

SMALL DRONE SPOTTED NEAR PALACES ON SATURDAY SHOT DOWN

Gulf News Report

Saudi Arabia was finalising regulation for the use of recreational drones, state media said yesterday, after a toy aircraft sparked security alarm as it hovered close to royal palaces in Riyadh. “The regulation for the use of remote controlled drones is in its final stages,” the Saudi Press Agency said, citing the interior ministry. Until the new guidelines are adopted drone enthusiast must obtain police permission to fly their devices in “permitted sites” only, the ministry said.

Earlier, Saudi security forces said they had shot down a recreational drone in the capital on Saturday after online videos showed gunfire in a neighbourhood where royal palaces are located.

The Riyadh police spokesman, quoted by the official Saudi News Agency (SPA), said a security screening point noticed a small unauthorised recreational drone flying at 7:50pm local time in the neighbourhood of Khuzama, leading security forces to deal with it according to their instructions.

There were no casualties, and King Salman was not at his palace at the time, a senior Saudi official told Reuters.

“The king was at his farm in Diriya,” the official said, naming another area of the capital.

Amateur footage circulating earlier on social media showed loud gunfire that lasted for at least 30 seconds.

One video showed two police cars parked in the middle of a dark street. Reuters was unable to independently verify the videos’ authenticity.

Investigations

Asked about the footage, the official said the drone had been shot down, and added that the government would introduce regulations for the use of recreational drones.

The authorities have initiated investigations into the circumstances of the incident, according to SPA.

Last week UAE Armed Forces in Yemen’s anti-aircraft defence unit said they had shot down an Iranian Qassef-1 drone loaded with explosives over the Saudi city of Abha.

The Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, says it is consistently working to counter Iran’s weapon smuggling, which poses a direct threat not only to the Yemeni forces and people, but also threatens international maritime traffic along the Red Sea.

On March 25, Al Houthis fired seven ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia, with some reaching Riyadh.

At the time, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman said the missile salvo was “a last-ditch effort” by Al Houthis because of their increasing weakness.