Man arrested for flying drone over residence of Swedish king Carl XVI Gustaf

The man was arrested on Sunday near the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
The man was arrested on Sunday near the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Copyright AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File
Copyright AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File
By AFP with Euronews
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Swedish authorities are investigating dozens of reports of unknown drones flying above sensitive locations.

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of flying a drone over the King of Sweden's residence near Stockholm.

The suspect was detained on Sunday afternoon near Drottningholm Castle, one of Sweden's Royal Palaces, police said.

The man is suspected of violating the law on the protection of sensitive places, such as the private residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

"We are not confirming the nationality of this person, we simply confirm the arrest of a man," Stockholm police spokesman Ola Österling told AFP.

The investigation has been partly handed over to the Swedish domestic intelligence agency, Säpo.

The arrest comes as Sweden investigates a series of reports of unknown drones being spotted in various Swedish regions.

Earlier this month, several drones were reportedly spotted above Swedish nuclear power plants and other sensitive locations.

A "military drone" was also reported in mid-January flying over the Swedish parliament and government buildings and the royal palace in central Stockholm.

Swedish police have said that they were not yet able to prove that the suspected drones had been deployed by a foreign country, despite nearly 200 reports.

The Scandinavian country has recently reinforced its defences on the island of Gotland against a backdrop of tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

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