Belgian resident arrested for flying drone over Groningen's Eemshaven

Police have detained a man for flying a drobe over the Eemshaven area in Groningen. The man lives in Belgium, but his age and nationality are unknown. He was detained last Tuesday, which was confirmed by police following reporting by the Dagblad van het Noorden.

Eemshaven is a restricted no-fly zone for drones because of the permanent Defense Ministry presence and its critical infrastructure. Substantial amounts of equipment belonging to NATO members are also moved through the port.

The man has reportedly returned to Belgium but remains a suspect. The exact charges he might be facing are unknown, according to a spokesperson.

In October this year it was reported that multiple unidentified drones were spotted flying over Eemshaven and areas including Meeden, Zuidbroek, and Scheemda. Port workers said at the time that the first drones were seen on October 3, after which they were spotted on several nights and in the early mornings.

All of those incidents fit into a pattern of drone sightings in the Netherlands. Drones were observed around the Borssele nuclear power plant in July, in the port area of Terneuzen in Zeeland in November last year, and above the Netherlands’ largest gas distribution site near Ommen in January.

Similar incidents have been reported in other European countries. There is some suspicion coming from Western intelligence agencies that Russia might be mapping out critical European infrastructure.