Saudi Arabia Restricts Drone Flying After Palace Incident

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has instructed drone enthusiasts to obtain permission to fly the devices until regulations are finalised, a day after security forces shot down a recreational drone near the king’s palace in Riyadh.

Amateur online videos of heavy gunfire in the capital’s Khozama district on Saturday sparked fears of possible political unrest in the world’s top oil exporter.

A senior Saudi official told Reuters there were no casualties when the drone was shot down and that King Salman was not in the palace at the time.

State news agency SPA reports a security screening point had noticed the flying of a small unauthorised recreational drone, leading security forces to deal with it “according to their orders and instructions”.

An Interior Ministry spokesman says a law for the use of drones was in its final stage and called on users to obtain the necessary police clearance to use the devices “for particular reasons in permitted locations.