Drone Operators Arrested After Overflight of Warsaw Government Buildings
Warsaw, Poland – Polish authorities arrested two Belarusian nationals Monday evening after a drone flew over government buildings in Warsaw, including the Palais du Belvédère, one of the presidential residences. The incident occurred amid heightened alert levels following recent drone intrusions.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the arrests on his X account, stating, “state Protection Service [SOP, the agency responsible for the security of state members and institutions] has just neutralized a drone flying over government buildings.” He added, “Two individuals were arrested.”
According to a spokesperson for the SOP, the two drone operators were taken into custody around 7 p.m. Monday. The spokesperson did not confirm the operators’ nationality at the time of the announcement,nor did they specify the type of drone involved.
The incident follows a September 9-10 intrusion of approximately twenty Russian drones into Polish airspace, prompting increased vigilance from poland and it’s NATO allies. Several European nations – including France,Germany,Sweden,and Great Britain – have pledged to bolster Poland’s air defense capabilities along its eastern border with Ukraine and Belarus,a key ally of Moscow.
