New tests in Athalassa spy in the sky case

Police are not taking any chances with two drones that flew near a military area in Athalassa, with computer forensics experts trying to determine whether two young men were having fun or engaging in espionage.

The investigation of two young males and their unmanned drones, seen last Friday afternoon flying over an area in Nicosia near an Athalassa army camp, is moving forward on Tuesday with more advanced tests expected to be carried out on the devices.

According to daily Phileleftheros, soldiers in the area used their mobile phones to record video of the two drones before police rushed to the scene. Two young men were taken to the local station in Latchia where they told officers they were testing their drones and just having fun.

But law enforcement officials, who had been notified previously of similar incidents and drone sightings, did not take any chances and confiscated the devices according to local media.

On Tuesday, specialised computer forensics tests were expected to determine whether the drones had actually recorded video over a military area.

Officials from the department of Civil Aviation say only a limited number of permits were issued for drones, while according to recent regulations, flying a drone is not permitted near airports and military camps.