Arrests by Belgian police might indicate that the country’s drone scare may be less connected to Russia than initially feared.
On the afternoon of November 14, police detained two people just outside the Brussels Airport site and seized a drone.
One person was reportedly sporting a black ski-hat, wearing a black hoodie and allegedly carrying a small drone when airport police picked up him and his associate.
Neither were Russian but were identified as Belgian. They were said to be journalists in possession of a press card, the website Drone Watch first reported on November 17.
The pair reportedly said they wanted to use the drone to take photos of the airport fence to illustrate press articles.
It has since been speculated the two journalists wanted prove it was easy to launch a drone near an airport. Yet, as there was no evidence that they had flown the drone in the vicinity, no official report was filed.
The drone, though, was nonetheless confiscated by the Federal Police Aviation (LPA) unit.
Online rumours connected the two with Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgium’s biggest-selling tabloid. DPG media, the company behind the tabloid, vehemently denied this.
DPG media is now threatening to sue outlets that published the news first and claimed that the journalists worked for Het Laatste Nieuws.
The police did not say to which editorial office or media outlet the journalists were connected.
Unlike in recent weeks, when alleged drone sightings and illegal drone intrusions were extensively reported on and connected to Russia, the news of the two journalists received much less coverage.
Despite many drone sightings in Belgium and in wider Europe, no concrete proof has been found of hostile actors.
Since the increased number of drone sightings, the Belgian Government has ordered extra drone interceptors.
The Belgian federal police did not utilise its anti-drone unit during intrusions into Belgian airspace, the latest being on November 6, despite the unit having been available for four years. https://t.co/WgSRkKmcAF
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 10, 2025
