BURSTYinpiao Zhou, a Chinese citizen, was arrested Monday and accused of using a drone to photograph the Vandenberg Space Force Base outside Santa Barbara, Calif.
Zhou, 39, was charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and a violation of national defense airspace, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a release.
He was arrested at San Francisco International Airport prior to boarding a China-bound flight.
Vandenberg's detection system spotted the drone on Nov. 30. The aircraft flew for nearly an hour, traveled to an altitude of about a mile above ground level and began in the Ocean Park public area close to the base, according to officials.
Agents went to the park and found that Zhou had a drone “concealed in his jacket.” He was accompanied by another person, who arrived in the U.S. from China on Nov. 26.
Authorities later investigated Zhou’s drone with a federal search warrant and found several photos of the Space Force base. A search of his cellphone also showed that he had conducted a Google search a month prior with the phrase “Vandenberg Space Force Base Drone Rules," according to the release.
The man also messaged with another person earlier about hacking the drone to fly higher than normal, officials added.
Zhou is a Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. He was last in China in February 2024.
If convicted, he would face a minimum sentence of four years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating the matter.