Arrests over drone sightings at Paris locations

Three Al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested for illegally flying a drone.

Paris prosecutors said the three foreign nationals aged 70, 54 and 36 were taken into custody after police spotted the drone flying in the Bois de Boulogne woods in western Paris.

They can be held for a maximum of 24 hours under French law.

Flying drones without a licence in France is illegal and carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a €75,000 fine.

French authorities launched investigations into sightings of drones this week close to sensitive sites in Paris such as the presidential palace and the US embassy, the government said

Local media reported five sightings of drones overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday. There have been no claims of responsibility.

The French capital remains on top security after last month’s deadly attacks by Islamist gunmen at a satirical magazine and a Jewish food store.

However, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll ruled out a security risk and said drones were not solely a French phenomenon.

“There is nothing to worry about,” he told a regular news briefing.

“Drones have been spotted and investigations launched ... We are mobilised on a matter which is and should be taken seriously,” he said.

The five sightings follow a similar mystery last November involving overflights by drones of five nuclear power sites in the country.

Last month an employee of a US spy agency said he had been operating a small drone that crashed on the grounds of the White House.

Authorities remain unable to catch any of the operators or determine whether the flyovers are the work of pranksters, tourists or something more malicious.Flying drones over the French capital is banned by law,