Los Angeles, United States

A Chinese was arrested and charged with flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California where he allegedly captured pictures of the military facility, said the US Justice Department on Wednesday (Dec 11).

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Authorities detained Yinpiao Zhou, 39, at San Francisco International Airport as he attempted to depart for China.

“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said.

“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.”

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Charging documents reveal that Vandenberg's security systems tracked a drone flying roughly 1.6 kilometres (one mile) above the facility.

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A drone detected by security personnel at Vandenberg Base, which is a launch site for SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets and missile tests, led security personnel to a nearby park, where they found Zhou with the device hidden in his jacket.

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Agents who received a search warrant upon reviewing the drone found out that it had aerial photographs of the base.

Zhou is a Chinese national who, as per the Justice Department, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and had visited China recently in the month of February.

Zhou made a court appearance in San Francisco on Tuesday, facing charges of failing to register an aircraft not providing transport and violating national defence airspace. Notably, he did not enter a plea during his court appearance. 

He is due to appear in US District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

In the year 2023, the United States found and traced an alleged spy balloon as it was spotted hovering above the US military installations. The authorities had shot it down and retrieved its large payload of electronics.

(With inputs from agencies)