How explosive drone found near runway at German airport sparked fears of another ‘hybrid’ Russian attack on Nato
An explosive-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian plane at the Leipzig/Halle airport in east Germany late on Tuesday, prompting a counterterrorism investigation and fears of another hybrid attack on European soil.
Airport workers discovered the drone in a restricted cargo area near the southern runway at one of Europe’s biggest cargo hubs. Flights were later suspended and several aircraft were diverted from the airport.
Most operations had resumed by Wednesday morning as one runway was reopened, but the southern strip stayed closed while analysts examined the drone and removed its detonator, according to authorities.
Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said the incident represented a ‘new threat scenario’ following an emergency meeting with the heads of Germany’s security services on Wednesday night.
Here’s all we know about the explosive drone incident at Leipzig airport:
It was first reported early on Wednesday that German police had been called in to investigate a suspicious object found near a runway at the airport after an ‘overnight security incident’ halted traffic.
The southern runway was closed while specialists examined the object using explosives-disposal technology, a police spokesperson said.
Germany’s Bild newspaper reported that the drone had been found lying in the immediate vicinity of a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane.
The airline has used Leipzig/Halle as an operating base since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Authorities said there had been no danger to passengers or airport staff and most operations resumed by morning after one runway was reopened.
Separately, a DHL cargo aircraft collided mid-air with an unknown object shortly after take-off from the airport, prompting an immediate unscheduled landing in Hanover, a source told Reuters.
Germany opened a counterterrorism investigation on Wednesday, but the interior minister said it was “part of the nature of hybrid threats” that it was not immediately clear from where it originated.
He noted that it appeared to have been “very professionally carried out”.
All speculation about the explosives, the drone, its origin, and who is behind it, is now part of the investigation, the Mr Dobrindt said.
