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Al Jazeera journalists detained in France for flying drone in Paris

The logo of Al Jazeera.
The logo of Al Jazeera.

Three Al Jazeera journalists have been arrested by French authorities for flying a drone over Paris, according to a report.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported the three journalists were arrested for flying a drone in the Bois-de-Boulogne, a large park in the capital city.

Their names were not immediately released, although AFP identified their ages as 36, 54 and 70-years-old. A judicial source told AFP that one person was operating the drone, a second was filming and a third was watching.

It is unclear if the drone activity is connected to recent reports of drone sightings near various landmarks throughout Paris, a story that Al Jazeera itself has covered this week. Flying drones is illegal in the French capital.

A spokesperson for Al Jazeera told the BBC that the journalists had been working on a story about earlier drone sightings in the city. Al Jazeera did not return a request for comment from The Desk.

[Update: The headline of this post has been edited to clarify the journalists are accused of flying a single drone, not “drones” as earlier reported.]

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is an award-winning journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering the business of television and radio broadcasting, streaming services and the overall media industry. In addition to his work as publisher of The Desk, Matthew contributes regularly to StreamTV Insider and KnowTechie, and has worked for several well-known news organizations, including Thomson Reuters, McNaughton Newspapers, Grasswire, Comstock's magazine, KTXL-TV and KGO-TV. Matthew is a member of IRE, a trade organization for investigative reporters and editors, and is based in Northern California.

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