The U.S. government is investigating whether the Chinese citizen arrested after allegedly flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California perpetrated other offenses.
Last week, the U.S. attorney’s office for the central district of California announced that 39-year-old Yinpiao Zhou, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., was “charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.”
But court filings indicate that “the government is continuing to investigate whether ZHOU engaged in additional, more serious offenses.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks to Senior Writer at Politico Magazine Ankush Khardori during Politico’s annual AI and Tech Summit on Sept. 17, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” that some of the sightings have been drones but that others have been “manned-aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones.” He said “we know of no foreign involvement” related to “the sightings in the north-east.”
Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed to this report.
