Paris (AFP) - At least five drones were spotted flying over central Paris landmarks during the night and police were unable to catch the operators, sources close to the probe said on Tuesday.
The country has been hit by a series of mysterious drone overflights at nuclear plants and more recently over the presidential palace, and the fresh sightings come at a time of heightened security following last month's jihadist attacks that left 17 people dead.
The first drone sighting was near the US embassy in the French capital just after midnight, prompting police to follow the unmanned aircraft which continued on towards the Invalides military museum.
But they soon lost sight of the drone and later in the night, four other pilotless aircraft were spotted at several Paris landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Place de la Concorde and the Montparnasse tower, the tallest skyscraper in the French capital.
"It could be a coordinated action but we don't know for now," said one source, who asked not to be identified.
"We did everything to try and catch the operators but they were not found," another source close to the case said.
One police source, who also wished to remain anonymous, said there had never been so many drones spotted over Paris in one night.
In October and November, around 20 of the unidentified aircraft flew over French nuclear plants and their operators were never found.
