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| 3 Found With Drones Near Nuclear Plant Are Questioned in France | 3 Found With Drones Near Nuclear Plant Are Questioned in France |
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| PARIS — Two men and a woman were being questioned by the police on Thursday after being arrested in possession of two drones near the Belleville-sur-Loire nuclear power plant in central France, news agencies reported. | |
| The arrests follow a wave of at least 14 illegal drone flights over French nuclear plants in recent weeks, which have raised concerns about the security of the country’s main source of electricity. However, the French news media reported that the three suspects — two men, ages 24 and 31, and a woman, 21 — did not appear to have any link to the recent mysterious drone flights. | The arrests follow a wave of at least 14 illegal drone flights over French nuclear plants in recent weeks, which have raised concerns about the security of the country’s main source of electricity. However, the French news media reported that the three suspects — two men, ages 24 and 31, and a woman, 21 — did not appear to have any link to the recent mysterious drone flights. |
| Law enforcement officials told Agence France-Presse that the three were suspected of having illegally flown two drones near the plant. The newspaper Le Monde said they had been arrested in their car in a restricted area about 650 feet from the plant. But the authorities said the three did not have criminal records and were not suspected of being behind the other drone flights. | Law enforcement officials told Agence France-Presse that the three were suspected of having illegally flown two drones near the plant. The newspaper Le Monde said they had been arrested in their car in a restricted area about 650 feet from the plant. But the authorities said the three did not have criminal records and were not suspected of being behind the other drone flights. |
| From Oct. 5 to Nov. 2, guards at 13 nuclear plants, including some operated by the French electricity giant EDF, had heard the buzzing of several drones that the authorities have labeled an “organized provocation” aimed at “disrupting the surveillance chain and protection of these sites.” Officials said that the drones were not military, but rather civilian or commercial, and that they could be used to take photographs or record video of the plants. | |
| Adding to the mystery, Ségolène Royal, the environment minister, has said that she does not have any leads on who was behind the flights. While she said she would not let anyone undermine France’s reputation for security at its nuclear plants, she added that the threat posed by the drone flights should neither be minimized nor exaggerated. | |
| France has 19 nuclear plants and 58 nuclear reactors that supply nearly 75 percent of its electricity. | France has 19 nuclear plants and 58 nuclear reactors that supply nearly 75 percent of its electricity. |
| The newspaper Le Figaro, citing an anonymous government official, has reported that police officers are under orders to shoot down any aircraft that could threaten the plants. | The newspaper Le Figaro, citing an anonymous government official, has reported that police officers are under orders to shoot down any aircraft that could threaten the plants. |