I thought that was a fright reaction too. A camera lens could easily look like a light beam weapon to an EME or EBE accustomed to seeing such a thing. If I had been that ET and saw what I thought was a weapon being aimed at me I would definitely holler out a warning to my compratriots and cry for help as I got myself out of there as quickly as I possibly could.
I think Zachary and Gail should be careful about chasing it too hard. Following at a discrete distance might be OK if they can also go to great pains to demonstrate their peaceful intentions.
Koala, Captain, Team Andrew