Sri Lankan authorities have arrested four Maldivian nationals, for illegally operating a drone near the country's main international airport.
In a statement, the Sri Lankan Police revealed the suspects were taken into custody on Saturday night after they were seen using a drone within the high security zone of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the suspects were filming the airport area with the drone and investigations are continuing. The suspects are aged between 19 and 23, who will be produced before a magistrate sometime today, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
The incident came hours before Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was due to arrive in Sri Lanka to attend the country's 71st national day ceremony in Colombo.
It was the first arrest in Sri Lanka in connection with an illegal operation of a drone near an airport. Operating any kind of drone near airports is banned while drone photography and aerial mapping are also highly regulated by civil aviation authorities. Drones recently caused flight disruptions in recent weeks in London and New York.