Overview
- FBI Portland posted that aiming a laser at an aircraft can be charged under 18 U.S.C. § 39A or § 32, carrying penalties of up to five or 20 years in prison.
- The call to action, posted on Rose City Counter-Info, urges people to gather in parks or fields at 9 p.m. on Oct. 11 to point lasers at law enforcement helicopters.
- The flyer brands the effort “Laser Tag,” claims multiple beams could force aircraft to break off surveillance, and advises masks, gloves, cleaning devices with alcohol, and keeping DNA off objects.
- Federal officials have warned lasers can cause visual impairment for pilots, and prosecutors in Portland recently charged a man for allegedly targeting a CBP helicopter with a laser in September.
- DHS previously flagged Rose City Counter-Info for publishing ICE officers’ personal information, while the site and federal agencies did not provide comment to reporters.