ATLANTA — The FBI and Atlanta Police Department are conducting a large-scale security operation ahead of the World Cup semifinals between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium. Both agencies are deploying drones to monitor for potential threats both on the ground and in the sky.

The FBI is enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration's Temporary Flight Restrictions around the venue. Since the World Cup began, the FBI has confiscated over 600 drones nationwide, with Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office Marlo Graham reporting that 86 of those were seized in Atlanta alone. Graham explained that the FBI uses a "mechanism" to detect unauthorized drones in restricted airspace and has successfully landed such drones safely.

Kindu Franklin noted that most individuals caught flying drones near World Cup venues are hobbyists without any harmful intent toward the crowd. The drone unit, according to Cunningham, has completed more than 1,400 flights and logged over 550 flight hours since early June. Anais Paredes, an APD drone pilot, stated, "We live here, so we know what to expect."

Authorities emphasized the importance of proactive measures, citing the potential for drones to be weaponized and the risk of disrupting the game if a hobbyist loses control of their drone.

Sources