A Canadian senior has been charged in Florida for allegedly using a drone to illegally photograph classified U.S. defence installations at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Xiao Guang Pan, 71, of Brampton, Ont., was charged with three counts of using an unmanned aircraft to photograph sensitive and vital military facilities and equipment at the Space Force base without the base commander’s prior authorization, according to a criminal complaint filed in Orlando.
Xiao Guang Pan, 71, submitted his drone photos to the Brampton Arts Organization last year and one of his works was among those selected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peel Region’s creation.
Brampton Arts Organization
Pan, originally from China, did not immediately respond to requests for comment that were sent to him by telephone and email. In a bio published on the Brampton Arts Organization’s (BAO) website, Pan is described as “an enthusiastic drone photographer/videographer for five years.”
Pan, who is not currently detained, entered the U.S. on a tourist visa and will appear in court early next week, U.S. court records show.
On Jan. 5, 6 and 7, prosecutors allege Pan took three aerial photographs of classified Space Force station launch complexes and military equipment inside them operated by three different U.S. defence contractors, who were not named in the complaint.
Pan’s criminal complaint suggests three photos have been seized by the FBI and Homeland Security.
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The Brampton resident allegedly took unauthorized photos of a space payload processing facility, a submarine wharf and munitions bunkers, United States attorney Roger B. Handberg said.
Taking unauthorized photographs of vital and classified U.S. defence installations or equipment, without prior approval from a military base commander, is prohibited under U.S. federal law.
The evidence against Pan has not yet been tested in court.
If convicted, Pan faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison on each of his three counts.
Pan’s arrest also comes amid growing concern among ordinary Americans and U.S. lawmakers about hundreds of drones flying over sensitive military bases and operations facilities amid foreign surveillance and spying concerns.
The issue was a hot subject of testimony at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday that examined unauthorized drones flights near military installations.
Norad chief Gen. Gregory Guillot revealed hundreds of incidents over the past year that highlight the drone problem and military vulnerabilities.
“There were 350 detections reported last year on military installations, and that was 350 over a total of 100 different installations of all types and levels of security,” Guillot told the committee members.
A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman confirmed that Pan lives in Brampton, Ont.
The BAO webpage shows Pan as a featured artist and includes a photo of him with a camera around his neck and a brief autobiography.
Pan states he was born in China in 1953 and immigrated to Canada in 2001, adding he has lived in Brampton since 2003.
Pan then worked as a technician for Best Buy Canada for 18 years until his retirement in 2022, the biography states.
The BAO webpage says that Pan started taking drone footage in 2019 “and loves travelling, especially self-driving, in almost all the States in USA, 10 countries in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, and almost all the famous scenic locations in Canada.”
Global News has not confirmed the details of the biography independently, though social media accounts for Pan show extensive travel and photos taken in the U.S. and other countries.
Gardenia Flores, a BAO spokeswoman, said the Brampton organization was unaware of Pan’s Florida arrest and was surprised, declining to comment on the case.
Flores said the BAO has known Pan for about a year. Pan responded to a call for artworks that could be shown as part of Brampton’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
“He had these great drone shots of the City of Brampton and his artwork was featured on a big screen in the City of Brampton’s downtown, a little like the one in downtown Toronto, along with works from 49 other artists,” Flores said. “We haven’t really had any contact with him since early last year.”
Pan’s arrest comes after a multi-agency probe led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency assisted.