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British police release two arrested over Gatwick airport drone chaos

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London: British police said on Sunday that they have released two people who were arrested in connection with drone flights that recently shut down London’s Gatwick airport.


The duo — a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman — were released without charge, Sussex Police said.


“Both people have fully co-operated with our enquiries and I am satisfied that they are no longer suspects in the drone incidents at Gatwick,” Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said in a statement.


The two were arrested late on Friday in Crawley, a town about 8 kilometres from the airport, on suspicion of “criminal use of drones.”


Tingley said the police investigation was ongoing and asked the public to provide any information that could lead to the arrest of those responsible for the drone activity.


The drone sightings brought an abrupt halt to operations at Britain’s second-busiest airport over the Christmas holiday period, leading to the cancellation or diversion of about 1,000 flights.


The identity of the two was not released.


Meanwhile, Gatwick airport said it has offered a £50,000 ($63,100) reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for disrupting the flights.


In a statement, the airport said it was open and aiming to “run a full schedule this weekend.”


It cautioned that passengers


should expect “some delays and cancellations.”


Passengers were also advised to check the status of their flight before heading off for the airport, the seventh-largest in Europe.


As part of efforts to avert further disruptions, the airport said on Saturday that it had put in place “military measures.”


The Press Association news agency reported that an Israeli-developed system that can detect drones via radar and jam communications between drone and operator was in use at Gatwick.


Flying a drone within one kilometre of an airport or airfield boundary was made illegal in Britain in July, but aviation officials and lawmakers


have called for a 5 kilometre exclusion zone. — dpa


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