The new nightmare of counter terror experts

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Drones over Paris

What happened yesterday over Paris is the nightmare of counter terror organizations and they say that this is only the beginning of it.

As tensions over terrorism continue to run high in the wake of January’s attacks, unidentified UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have been spotted near many of the French capital’s key buildings and landmarks.

At least five drones of unknown origin were spotted flying over several restricted areas of Paris. Among these sites: the American embassy and the Eiffel Tower.

The drones were spotted in several locations through the night, starting from 1:00 a.m. The first one was discovered by police officers over the US embassy. The little aircraft was hovering at what is considered a low altitude: between 100 and 300 meters (330 to a thousand feet above ground).

Later on, other drones were also seen near the Eiffel Tower, the Bastille, as well as in the vicinity of the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Élysée Palace, the president’s residence. At 6 a.m., the last one flew over the administrative quarter of Paris.

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The incident raised deep concerns among police officials, as security measures in Paris had been increased after the terrorist attacks in January. Nevertheless, the identity of the pilot is still unknown.

A similar episode took place on January 20, as an unidentified drone was found spying on the French President’s palace. A number of drones were also seen earlier, over several French nuclear plants. However, it is the first time so many surveillance craft were active in one night. The event repeated itself during the night between February 24th and 25th.

“This time, the drones probably carried cameras. Nevertheless, they could have also been carrying explosive devices. With a $200 drone that anyone can purchase online, a terrorist can create chaos in a big city, kill passers-by and wound people. At this time, nothing can prevent the use of these flying platforms for terror attacks,” an Israeli security expert told i-HLS.

This incident also underscores the concern that UAS (unmanned aerial systems) may be used to perpetrate assassinations of heads of state and other VIPS. This bi-nightly UAV flight follows two similar episodes have taken place recently: a drone landed at the feet of Germany’s chancellor Merkel, and the Whitehouse lawn was the scene of a drone crashing.