Authorities in Norway are investigating after accounts of a unidentified drone flying over a gas plant in the south-west of the country.
Multiple news outlets are reporting the Norwegian military, posted at the Karsto facility north of Stavanger, spotted an object flying nearby on Thursday night.
Police official Kjetil Lussand told Reuters: “Police responded to find the drone and find the operator. They did not find them. We have no suspects and no arrests have been made.”
Norway has beefed up its military presence around key oil and gas assets after multiple unnamed drone sightings last month.
They coincided with the suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic sea as tensions in Europe ramp up, spurred on by Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Last week Norwegian police took into custody a 51-year-old Russian man on Friday after he was observed taking photos near Tromso airport, the second such occurrence in a week.
The police took possession of a drone, a large amount of camera equipment and a number of memory cards, according to a statement from the Troms police district. Some of the pictures were also taken at Kirkenes airport and include images of a military helicopter, the police said.
The detention comes after a Norwegian court remanded another Russian national in the far north of the country following the seizure of “large amounts” of footage he had filmed with two drones. Russian citizens and companies have been banned from flying drones in Norway, according to regulations that came into force after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.