Saudi finalizing drone regulation following incident near royal palace

RIYADH, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Interior Ministry announced Sunday that regulation on using remote-controlled drones is in its final stages, the state news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Drone users will have to obtain permission "from police in their neighborhoods" to fly the aircraft "for the purposes assigned to them in permitted sites," a spokesperson was quoted as saying.

The measure will be temporary until the issuance of the regulation, it added.

The statement came a day after one of the security checkpoints in Al-Khuzama district in Saudi capital Riyadh observed the flying of an unauthorized small recreational drone, sparking fears of possible political unrest.

The report quoted the spokesperson of the Riyadh police as saying that the drone was noticed at 7:50 p.m. local time (1650 GMT).

The security forces then "dealt with it according to their orders and instructions in this regard," said the SPA, as they shot down the drone after social media showed gunfire in the neighborhood where Saudi King Salman's home is located.

The authorities have also initiated investigation procedures into the incident, it added. Enditem