MORE THAN 700 DRONES SEIZED DURING THE WORLD CUP

WASHINGTON, JULY 16 /SRNA/ - U.S. agencies have seized more than 700 drones near the football World Cup venues and fan zones since the start of the tournament on June 11, the Federal Bureau of Investigation /FBI/ announced.

On match days, all aircraft operations, including drones, are prohibited within a 5.5-kilometre radius and up to 914 metres above ground level around stadiums, unless specifically authorised by air traffic controllers.

The FBI said that the drones were seized from restricted airspace in all 11 host cities in the US and that several arrests had been made.

The Federal Aviation Administration has introduced dozens of temporary flight restrictions to ban drones around World Cup venues.

At fan gatherings, drones are prohibited within a 1.8-kilometre radius and up to 300 metres above ground level.

Operators whose drones enter restricted airspace without authorisation may face fines of up to $100,000, criminal charges and confiscation of the drone.

The FBI has teams stationed around World Cup stadiums to detect and disable unauthorised drones.