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2024-12-11 -Lurid Crime Tales-
Chinese citizen charged with flying drone over key US military, NASA rocket launch base, taking photos
[FoxNews] Yinpiao Zhou, 39, allegedly conducted a Google search one month earlier for the phrase 'Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules'

A Chinese citizen living in Los Angeles allegedly flew a drone and took aerial images of Vandenberg Space Force Base last month, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested this week at the San Francisco International Airport prior to boarding a China-bound flight, the Justice Department said. He is charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.
He woulda got away with it if it weren’t for those meddling kids!
On Nov. 30, drone detections systems at the military installation in Santa Barbara County detected a drone flying over the base, prosecutors said.

The drone originated from Ocean Park, a public area next to the base, and flew for nearly an hour. During its flight, the aircraft traveled to an altitude of almost one mile above ground level, authorities said.

Security personnel from the base went to a park and spoke with Zhou and someone with him.

Zhou had a drone that flew over the base concealed in his jacket, prosecutors said.

The drone was later searched and investigators found several photographs of the base were taken from above, authorities said. A search of Zhou’s cellphone showed that he conducted a Google search one month earlier for the phrase "Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules" and messaged with another person about hacking his drone to allow it to fly higher than it could otherwise.

Zhou is a permanent resident, most recently returning from China in February. The person with him at Ocean Park had entered the United States from China on Nov. 26.

Zhou faces up to four years in prison.

Vandenberg's host unit, Space Launch Delta 30, supports West Coast launch activities for the Air Force, Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the military base.
Posted by Skidmark 2024-12-11 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11150 views ]  Top

#1 Chinese spy satellites are so bad that they need to do this?

Zhou had a drone that flew over the base concealed in his jacket, prosecutors said.

"You happy to see me or is that just a drone in your jacket?"
Posted by Procopius2k 2024-12-11 07:14||   2024-12-11 07:14|| Front Page Top

#2 US military research center denies NJ drones are theirs
Posted by Skidmark 2024-12-11 09:36||   2024-12-11 09:36|| Front Page Top

#3 Report: Cuba Running Multiple Espionage Facilities Potentially Used by China to Spy on U.S.
Posted by Skidmark 2024-12-11 10:58||   2024-12-11 10:58|| Front Page Top

#4 Seems like a drone might show up on the booty scanner.
Posted by Super Hose 2024-12-11 13:39||   2024-12-11 13:39|| Front Page Top

#5 Iranian mothership?

https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1866910592281596320
Posted by NoMoreBS 2024-12-11 14:48||   2024-12-11 14:48|| Front Page Top

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