Journalists arrested for flying drones in Paris

PARIS, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Three journalists were arrested in a Paris park, accused of illegally flying a drone over the city, after two nights of mysterious drone sightings. Prosecutors said the two incidents appear to be unrelated.

The three unidentified Al-Jazeera television journalists were arrested Wednesday for flying drones without a license. The practice is illegal within Paris' city limits.

One of the journalists is scheduled to appear in court Thursday to answer charges. A judicial source told the French news website The Local he will plead guilty. The two others were released Thursday and will not face charges.

They claimed they were flying the drone to better understand a wave of drone sightings over Paris the past two nights. One member of the Al-Jazeera crew allegedly controlled the drone, while the second videotaped the project and the third reported on it.

On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, drones were observed flying near the Eiffel Tower, the U.S. Embassy, the Invalides military museum and other sites around the city. A spokesman for the city prosecutor's office said there was "no relationship for the moment" between the arrests and the drone flights the previous nights.

The incidents come at a time of heightened tension in Paris, the scene of an armed attack in January against the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine in which 13 were killed.