A drone carrying an explosive device has been discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, prompting a security operation. Police said a special robot was deployed to remove the detonator from the device.
The incident unfolded overnight after an employee spotted the suspicious object near Ukrainian cargo planes. According to Saxony police, the drone was found close to parked Antonov aircraft, which are operated by Ukraine's Antonov Airlines, a key cargo carrier for the country.
In a related development, a second unidentified object collided with a cargo aircraft near the same airport. Minor damage was detected on the aircraft after it landed in Hanover, raising concerns about the scope of the threat.
German airports are on high alert following a series of unauthorized drone flights in recent months over sensitive sites, including military bases, airports, energy terminals, seaports, and logistics companies. Police have warned that the overflights could have been organized by Russian agents, though no definitive evidence has been provided.
Leipzig/Halle Airport, located in eastern Germany, serves as a critical hub for the German military and NATO allies for transporting military goods. It also hosts DHL's major logistics center, making it a strategic target for potential sabotage.
A police spokesman told the BBC that the explosive-laden object was spotted near parked Antonov planes. The detonator was successfully removed, and flights on the northern runway resumed at 01:55 local time (23:55 GMT Tuesday), while the southern runway remains closed.
Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster described the situation as a "very serious security incident," but German authorities have provided no further details. Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, told Welt TV: "Who else could it be but Russia?" Russia has not commented on the allegations.
This incident comes amid heightened tensions, as in July 2024, a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig/Halle Airport before being loaded onto a DHL cargo plane. That was part of a series of parcel fires targeting the UK and EU countries, with suspicions of Moscow-linked sabotage. The parcels contained explosive devices set off by electronic timers hidden in vibrating massage pillows, according to authorities.
Russia has denied any involvement in those incidents. Additionally, last year, a Chinese woman was convicted for passing information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig/Halle Airport to a man spying for Beijing, highlighting broader security vulnerabilities at the facility.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk