Four people are facing federal charges after allegedly flying drones into restricted airspace at FIFA World Cup events, as the FBI says authorities have now seized more than 400 unauthorized drones across the tournament's 11 U.S.host cities.The suspects, Huu An Nguyen Dinh, John Alexander Meza, Patrick Heer, and Jordan Lee Zale, are accused of violating Temporary Flight Restrictions established around FIFA World Cup venues, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.According to the FBI, Dinh had been warned by police just days before he allegedly flew a drone into restricted airspace.The FBI's Houston field office used the cases to send a blunt warning to anyone thinking about launching a drone near a World Cup match or official fan event.NFL IMPLORES LAWMAKERS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST POTENTIAL DRONE THREATSA swarm of drones flies in the sky.(iStock/Getty Images)"Don't want to be federally charged? Then don't fly in a #NoDroneZone!" the agency wrote in a social media post announcing the charges.The federal charges are the latest sign authorities are aggressively enforcing airspace restrictions around World Cup venues nationwide."Due to unprecedented law enforcement coordination, this FBI and our DHS partners have seized over 400 drones from restricted airspace across all 11 U.S.
host cities since the start of the FIFA World Cup tournament," the bureau said in a separate statement.Know something we should investigate? [email protected]: @fndstephprice: @StephenyPriceYour tip could lead to our next story.The Transportation Security Administration previously told FOX Local that the federal government, led by the White House Task Force and working alongside the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Federal Aviation Administration and state and local law enforcement, launched a coordinated airspace security and drone mitigation operation for the tournament."Unauthorized drone flights in restricted areas are a serious violation...