An SA man has been ordered to leave Italy after flying his drone near the Vatican, Italian police said on Wednesday.
Police arrested the 25-year-old as he flew his drone over the main Via della Conciliazione that leads towards Saint Peter’s Square where the pope was leading Sunday prayers.
“He was given an order to leave the country and his drone and camera confiscated,” Rome police said in a statement.
The SA embassy declined to comment his arrest and expulsion.
Under Rome’s strict security measures, it is illegal to overfly the city, including with a drone.
Two French tourists flying a drone near the Colosseum last year were fined around €3,000 (R52,000) and had their equipment confiscated and destroyed, police said.