Taoiseach says gardaí prepared for Trump visit in wake of reported drone sighting
Irish authorities are investigating a reported drone sighting near Dublin Airport that occurred ahead of a scheduled visit by US President Donald Trump. Officials are working to verify the report and determine if it poses a security risk.
Why it matters
Unauthorised drone activity near airports poses significant aviation safety risks and heightened security concerns during high-profile diplomatic visits.
An investigation into the reported sighting of a large unauthorised drone at 6,000ft near the flight path of commercial aircraft off Co Wicklow will attempt to determine whether any such unmanned aerial vehicles were in fact in the area at the time.
Though the sighting is being taken seriously, Garda sources said the primary goal of the inquiry was to test the accuracy of the report.
It will also seek to rule out the possibility a drone was being flown as part of US security preparations ahead of the visit to Ireland this weekend of US president Donald Trump . However, sources said that was unlikely.
They also said that if someone was flying a drone, potentially including on behalf of a bad actor or rogue state, and wanted it to be seen, the location of the reported sighting would not be an obvious choice.
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