The Federal Bureau of Investigations told Sen. Rand Paul in a recent unclassified letter that agents have flown drones over U.S. airspace a total of 10 times in the past seven years.

Mr. Paul received two letters — one classified and one unclassified — from the FBI. He released the unclassified letter Thursday on his website along with his response to it. The letter was a response to questions the senator first posed to FBI Director Robert Mueller in June and then again in early July.

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The letter from the FBI’s director of legislative affairs, Stephen Kelly, was dated July 19.

It said, in part: “The FBI uses UAVs in very limited circumstances to conduct surveillance when there is a specific, operational need. UAVs have been used for surveillance to support missions related to kidnappings, search and rescue operations, drug interdictions and fugitive investigations. Since late 2006, the FBI has conducted surveillance using UAVs in eight criminal cases and two national security cases.”

For example, the FBI said it used drone surveillance earlier this year to help rescue a 5-year-old boy being held in a bunker by Jimmy Lee Dykes.

The FBI also said it doesn’t use armed drones on U.S. soil.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/26/fbi-tells-sen-rand-...