Ermal Beqiri, wanted by Albanian authorities in the context of the investigation into the AKSH tender scandal, has been arrested in France.
The news was announced by French media, which reported that Beqiri has been detained by French authorities.
According to preliminary information, the arrest was made during a flight over a nuclear power plant in Normandy, France, at an altitude lower than the permitted limit.
Beqiri was wanted by SPAK as part of investigations into the issue of tenders for the National Agency for the Information Society (AKSHI).
Article from LA JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE
An Albanian citizen was detained after flying over a nuclear power plant in Normandy, France, at an altitude lower than the permitted limit. His profile has raised suspicions among investigators, who do not rule out the possibility of espionage.
By Geoffroy Antoine, LA JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE:
The profile of the detainee has surprised investigators. According to our information, on Saturday afternoon a small civilian plane flew in an unusual manner over the Penly nuclear power plant, in the Seine-Maritime department.
While flying at an altitude of 3,700 feet (about 1,200 meters), the pilot suddenly lowered the plane to 3,500 feet, below the legal limit allowed for flying over a sensitive area.
Immediately after being notified, the French Air Force sent an aircraft to escort the plane to Albert airport, in the Somme department. There, the pilot was met by police, who immediately arrested him and placed him in police custody.
The profile of the suspect, questioned by investigators, raises many questions. Ermal B., an Albanian citizen, is already known to French and Albanian justice for financial fraud, organized group fraud, as well as for various illegal activities related to computer piracy. In addition, there is a search warrant issued against him by the Albanian authorities. (The first suspicions are that Ermal B. is Ermal Beqiri but official confirmation is awaited).
An unusual fact was that during the physical search, law enforcement found three AirTag devices hidden in his clothes.
These small GPS devices, manufactured by Apple, are used to locate and track objects or people who carry them.
According to our information, this detail has guided investigators towards another track: the pilot may have acted under the coercion or control of a client.
Ermal B.'s answers during questioning were considered unclear, he stated that he had mistaken the flight altitude and told investigators that he was talking on the phone with his mother at the moment he passed over the nuclear power plant.
Everything in his version has raised doubts, including the flight plan.
It had departed from the small town of Albert, flown towards Calais, then crossed over Brittany, ending up passing over the Penly nuclear power plant.
Nuclear power plants targeted by foreigners
According to our information, the Albanian citizen was sentenced in an expedited procedure with a fine of 7,000 euros for prohibited flight. He was then handed over to the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime (OCLCO). After that, he is expected to be extradited to Albania.
In addition to being a nuclear power plant of great importance, Penly is also the site where the new EPR-2 nuclear reactors are being built, a project that is being followed with interest by the whole world.
In 2014, several French nuclear power plants were overrun by drones. In recent months, several unidentified drones have also flown over sensitive or military facilities.
It is a series of carefully organized flights, which French authorities have not yet officially attributed to any foreign state.