What did he do?

FBI outside Affleck’s mansion causes wild rumors

"Is Ben Affleck the arsonist?" Conspiracy theories ran rampant on social media when photos of FBI agents in Brentwood started doing the rounds. They were photographed standing outside the Oscar winner's mansion, which is right next to the burnt-down Pacific Palisades, and trying in vain for several minutes to gain access to the property.

It was impossible to tell from the snaps whether the Hollywood star was even at home, or - as many social media 'insiders' speculated - simply did not open the door. Which caused the online rumor to spread that the authorities had a warrant for the 52-year-old's arrest, or at least wanted to interrogate him as a suspect in connection with the Palisades fire outbreak.

Utter nonsense!
That turned out to be completely false and utter nonsense. An FBI spokesperson clarified that they only wanted to check Affleck's surveillance camera: "Members of an FBI task force are investigating the use of an illegally deployed aerial drone and are in the area of the fire and evacuation zone." 

FBI wanted to access Affleck's surveillance camera
The drone, which had not previously been registered with the FAA, collided with one of the firefighting planes in the air over the fire area on Thursday. The so-called CL-415 "Super Scooper", just one of two aircraft that can take up to 6,000 liters of sea water and use it to extinguish the fire, was severely damaged on the wing.

An insider: "The FBI agents wanted the tapes from Affleck's surveillance cameras, which are attached to the outside of his villa. They hope they may have recorded the collision. But Ben was not at home."

CL-415 "Super Scooper"(Bild: Enterpress)

Obstruction of a firefighting operation
The pilot of the drone is facing a one-year prison sentence and a 75,000 dollar fine after being arrested - for obstructing a firefighting operation. To make matters worse, the "Super Scooper" was out of action for three days and was unable to help fight the fires.