Washington DC [US] August 29 : A Canadian citizen originally from China has been removed from the United States after being placed on probation for unlawfully using a drone to photograph a US defence facility, as reported by The Epoch Times (TET).
A judge in Florida has sentenced Xiao Guang Pan, a resident of Brampton, Ontario, to 12 months of probation and has mandated his deportation to Canada. Earlier this year, Pan was charged by the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida with three offences related to utilising a drone to capture images of defence installations and equipment at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base (CCSFS) in Florida. He later admitted guilt to all three charges, as indicated in a court document filed on June 18, cited in the TET report.
Pan, who was born in China, relocated to Canada in 2001, according to a biography provided by the Brampton Arts Organisation. He is characterised as an "enthusiastic" drone photographer and videographer and previously worked at Best Buy for 18 years until his retirement in 2022. Between January 5 and 7, Pan captured nearly 250 drone photos and videos of "vital" military installations at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as noted in the court document signed by Pan.
This space force base supports the US's space launch capabilities and features space launch complexes as well as US Navy submarine wharves. Under US federal law, unauthorised photography of significant defence installations or equipment is strictly prohibited, as highlighted by the TET report.
NASA identified drone activity in the vicinity of the space force base on January 7 and notified local authorities, who subsequently discovered Pan operating a drone, a Mavic 3 Pro model manufactured by the Chinese company DJI, from a nearby parking lot. An investigation of Pan's drone and phone revealed that he had taken 243 photographs and 13 videos of the military structures at the space force station.
"At no time did Pan seek or obtain permission to capture images or videos of CCSFS," states the court document. The structures documented in Pan's photos and videos included space launch complexes, a payload processing facility, mission control and power distribution systems, security checkpoints, and fuel and munitions bunkers.
Pan's situation has been investigated by several US security and intelligence entities, which include Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the TET report.
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