Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk said the drone was flying over an area where it was not permitted and was brought down.
The people operating it were detained and questioned overnight, he told private broadcaster TVN24, adding that the reaction was swift and effective and that the State Protection Service (SOP) “performed very well.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday evening that the SOP had neutralized a drone operating over government buildings on Parkowa and over Belweder. He said two Belarusian citizens were detained and that police were examining the incident.
Parkowa Street is where the prime minister has his residence, while Belweder Palace is one of the official residences of the Polish president.
Duszczyk stressed that Belweder and its immediate surroundings host the country’s most important officials and therefore require special oversight. He said no hypothesis could be ruled out at this stage — the flight could have been accidental or recreational, or the operators may have been recording the SOP’s response — and that the matter would be clarified by the security services and the prosecutor.
The incident came less than a week after authorities said 19 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace during an overnight attack on Ukraine.
Polish and allied aircraft shot down some of them, marking the first time a NATO member has fired during Russia's war in Ukraine, according to reports.
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Source: PAP