An explosive drone with a detonator has been found at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, where Ukrainian aircraft were present.
Authorities discovered the drone near the south runway early Wednesday morning. The incident caused several flights, including one passenger airplane, to be diverted to other airports in the region overnight. An anti-explosives robot used by police was dispatched to defuse the device.
There have been drone sightings at European airports in the past, but none have been armed with explosives before. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the explosive drone poses a “new quality of danger” to the nation’s security.
“Drone sightings, drone threats including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past,” he told reporters. “That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario.”
The investigation seeks to determine the origin of the drone and who was responsible for the incident.
The explosive-laden drone was seen near a Ukrainian Antonov Airlines cargo plane, suggesting Russia may have been behind what Dobrindt described as a “hybrid attack scenario.” It remains unclear if that is the case.
European officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging hybrid attacks involving drones since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022.
Leipzig/Halle Airport is a leading cargo hub frequently visited by Ukrainian transport aircraft.
PUTIN SELECTS COMMANDER TO LEAD NEW DRONE WARFARE BRANCH OF RUSSIAN MILITARY
German officials said an apparent second flying object, which could have been a drone, collided with a freight plane after it aborted a landing at the airport because the runway was closed. The damaged plane flew to Hannover Airport, located about 125 miles northwest. Authorities are searching for parts of the second possible drone.
The north runway reopened after about two hours, but the south runway remained closed for maintenance on Wednesday. Flights weren’t affected during the day, and officials assured passengers and airport staff that there was no danger.