Al-Jazeera journalists arrested for using drones in Paris amid puzzling series of UAV flights

Three Al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested for illegally flying a drone in Paris, after unidentified drones flew over the Eiffel Tower and key Paris landmarks for a second night running.

It has further baffled French authorities who are investigating a spate of unidentified flying objects in the Paris skies at a time of high security across the country.

The foreign nationals aged 70, 54 and 36 – who work for the Doha-based international broadcaster – were taken into custody yesterday afternoon after police spotted a drone flying in the Bois de Boulogne woods in western Paris, said Paris prosecutors’ spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre.

She said is was unclear what the trio were trying to accomplish.

Officials with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera did not immediately respond to a request for comment last night.

The journalists can be held for a maximum of 24 hours under French law. Flying drones without a licence in France is illegal and carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros (HK$660,000).

The Al-Jazeera arrests come in the midst of a police investigation into a spate of mysterious drone sightings over the French capital, including on Monday and Tuesday nights.