Last weekend, in Venezuela, the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, was attacked by two armed drones carrying explosives which were detonated while Maduro was delivering a speech on live television during a military ceremony. Maduro was not struck by the explosives, but his administrative officials called it an assassination attempt. This drone attack was the most recent of assassination attempts in recent years against Maduro, who was declared the winner of the election in May of this year, meaning that his term will not end until 2025. During the drone attack, the video feed was interrupted, but Maduro continuing to talk as other voices in the background yelled for people to leave the area. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said its Caracas embassy issued a security alert, but did not respond to Maduro’s allegation of a plot by the opposing political party in Venezuela.

Drone incidents involving heads of state date back to September 2013, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel was disrupted by a drone during a public appearance as a publicity stunt by the opposing political party. Of course, in that instance, the drones were not equipped with weaponry of any kind.

As the threat of drone terrorism attacks becomes more prevalent anti-drone technology will likely become increasingly important not only for government officials but also for critical infrastructure and highly-attended events and gatherings.

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