Federal authorities became so adept at hunting down drones during the FIFA World Cup that some drones were intercepted before operators could remove them from cars, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin revealed this week.He said security teams brought down nearly 2,000 drones over the course of the tournament."We got so good at [intercepting them], we started being able to bring them down before they even got out of the trunk of a car," Mullin said Monday on "The Will Cain Show.""We started being able to recognize where they're at."FEDS CHARGE FOUR AS WORLD CUP DRONE CRACKDOWN TOPS 400 SEIZURES ACROSS US HOST CITIES NATIONWIDESecretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin speaks during a news conference to discuss election security ahead of the midterms.
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Many of the drones belonged to spectators hoping for a bird's-eye view of the matches.But Mullin said others raised more serious concerns, with authorities believing some operators were intentionally probing security perimeters around stadiums and fan festivals."Some of them we felt like was actual a threat, that they were testing the perimeter.
Those are some of the drones that we confiscated," he said."Some were licensed individuals that knew better, but they were trying to push it.We also confiscated those, but I think people were trying to see where our perimeters was or what our ability was."PRESIDENT TRUMP STEALS PART OF SPOTLIGHT AS SPAIN CELEBRATES WORLD CUP TITLE OVER ARGENTINAFIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) with President Donald Trump as Spain lifts the FIFA World Cup trophy after the final match at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J.
(Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)Mullin said authorities had "technology dialed in" to the point that security teams were able to locate operators before many drones ever took flight, even as operators launched drones from outside the established perimeter.According to Mullin, the establis...