June 11, 2020

Cross-Border Laser Attacker Caught

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A 22-year-old Windsor, Ontario man faces multiple charges after he pointed a laser at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter that was ‘monitoring protests’ taking place across the river in Detroit, Michigan.

The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350, was equipped with sensors that were able to detect the source location of the green laser light beam and notified Windsor police, who then apprehended local resident Ali Zuhair, who had a green laser device in his pocket at the time of his arrest on outstanding warrants.

The suspect has been charged with mischief as well as other infractions related to a prior run-in with the law.

This is the third time in two weeks that suspects in Canada have been charged after attacking law enforcement helicopters with lasers. The previous events referred to, reported in eFlight two weeks ago, occurred in the York, Ontario region when an Air2 police helicopter was attacked with lasers by two different perpetrators on two different nights. That helicopter too had appropriate sensors capable of detecting sources of the laser beams.

Photo credit: Marcel Nothdurft/iStock