Man impersonates aviation officer, directs air traffic using radio

A man has been arrested in Germany’s capital Berlin for making radio contact with an air traffic controller and giving fake flight orders while impersonating an aviation official.

The 32-year-old man, whose identity wasn’t released in line with German privacy laws, was taken into custody from the city’s Koepenic district last week.

He reportedly made contact with pilots of a passenger and a transport aircraft as well as state and federal police helicopters over the past six month.

It was after he made contact with a police helicopter when the cops got suspicious. They broke into his house and found two radios that were used to make the necessary transmissions. He also allegedly gave “potentially dangerous” information.

“For everyone who has been asking about our police helicopter operations in Koepenick, an unusual arrest,” Berlin police said in a Twitter statement, sharing a link to more details.

No accidents or other incidents are known to have been caused by his actions, police said.