FBI Surveillance Plane Flew Over Seattle and Microsoft's Redmond Campus

The FBI is flying small planes over American cities—some circling around mosques for hours at a time—according to an analysis of their flight paths. Jaochainoi / Shutterstock.com

BuzzFeed:

Each weekday, dozens of U.S. government aircraft take to the skies and slowly circle over American cities. Piloted by agents of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the planes are fitted with high-resolution video cameras, often working with “augmented reality” software that can superimpose onto the video images everything from street and business names to the owners of individual homes. At least a few planes have carried devices that can track the cell phones of people below. Most of the aircraft are small, flying a mile or so above ground, and many use exhaust mufflers to mute their engines — making them hard to detect by the people they’re spying on. Support The Stranger More than ever, we depend on your support to help fund our coverage. Support local, independent media with a one-time or recurring donation. Thank you!

According to BuzzFeed's map of flights between August and December of last year, the FBI's surveillance planes circled over downtown Seattle, as well as Microsoft's campus in Redmond, on September 22 and 23.

I have an e-mail out to the FBI's Seattle bureau to learn more, but the agency prides itself on its secrecy, so it's doubtful they'll share exactly what was going on. What do you think, Sloggers?