French authorities intercepting six drones daily near Olympic venues: PM
A French police officer poses with an anti-drone rifle during an exercise to test out their anti-drone defence equipment ahead of playing host to the Summer Olympics at the military airbase of Villacoublay, near Paris, France, March 14, 2024. PHOTO:REUTERS
French security forces guarding sites set to be used in the Paris Olympics are intercepting an average of six drones per day, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said.
The miniature flyers are sometimes operated by "individuals, maybe tourists wanting to take pictures", Attal said.
"That's why it's important to remind people of the rules. There's a ban on flying drones," he added during a visit to the event's drone defence hub at Velizy-Villacoublay air base outside Paris.
"Systems are in place to allow us to very quickly intercept (drones) and arrest their operators," Attal said. "We can't allow anything to slip past us."
He highlighted several incidents around the Olympic village on Sunday. According to a member of Attal's team, the communications chief of the Brazilian delegation was apprehended over operating a drone.
"Any unauthorised drone will be jammed," said Stephane Groen, France's general in charge of air defence, as Attal visited a control room where an aerial vehicle had been spotted over the Stade de France stadium.
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The defenders' job is particularly tricky as they must avoid the remote vehicles falling while a sporting event is underway.
Nevertheless, "if in doubt, we always jam" a drone, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.
As well as drone defences, other forms of anti-aircraft defence are in place around Olympic sites.
Around 18,000 French troops have been deployed to secure the Olympics, 11,000 of them in the Ile-de-France region around Paris.
In a French first, airspace in a 150-kilometre (93 miles) radius around Paris will be completely closed on Friday evening during the opening ceremony.