Suspicious drones flying over military camp in Wallonia “a real alert and urgent threat” says defence minister

Several drones flew over the Marche-en-Famenne military camp in Namur province on Saturday night, according to local news reports.

The police were notified about the sightings and have launched an investigation along with the Belgian Federal Intelligence Service (SGRS), reports RTBF.

“On Saturday evening, our military detected four or five drones flying over the Marche-en-Famenne military base,” confirmed defence minister Theo Francken (N-VA) Francken. “These are not amateur pilots, but professional pilots conducting espionage over this base, which is the main base for our land forces.”

According to the minister, this latest incursion is part of “a hybrid war being waged against Europe, involving numerous drone attacks. The aim is to destabilise Europe and create panic.”

The origin of the drones is still unknown, although a Russian connection has not been ruled out. Meanwhile, Francken says he is preparing a report to present to the Council of Ministers next week requesting increased capacity for Belgium to counter drone incursions. "This is a real and urgent threat."

Drones were spotted again near the base on Tuesday night. Investigations are underway to determine if they were the same drones spotted on Saturday night. Several drones were also spotted in early October near the Elsenborn military camp in East Belgium, located close to the German border.

Photo: ©Belgian Defence (illustration only)