German authorities discovered a drone equipped with an explosive device at Leipzig/Halle Airport, a major freight hub, following a sighting near the airport’s south runway late Tuesday. Airport personnel located the device, and officials deployed specialized equipment to examine and secure it. The detonator was subsequently removed by police.
The incident prompted the temporary closure of both runways and the diversion of multiple flights, including at least one passenger aircraft, to alternative airports. An anti-explosives robot was deployed to assess the situation. The north runway reopened after approximately two hours, while the south runway had been scheduled for maintenance on the following day.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt traveled to the airport to assess the situation, characterizing the discovery as representing a “new quality of danger.” Dobrindt noted that while drone sightings and threats have occurred previously, the presence of explosives aboard a drone at an airport constituted a new threat scenario. He described the incident as a potential “hybrid attack scenario” but did not provide additional specifics regarding the investigation’s direction or potential responsibility.
Authorities reported investigating a possible second drone, which allegedly collided with a freight aircraft that had aborted its landing due to the runway closure. The aircraft proceeded to Hannover Airport approximately 200 kilometers to the northwest, where personnel identified minor damage upon inspection. Officials stated that no danger was posed to passengers or airport employees, and daytime flight operations proceeded normally.
The incident occurred at an airport that serves as a significant cargo hub and hosts Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft. The discovery follows a 2024 incident at the same facility in which an incendiary device ignited at a logistics center, an event Western security officials have attributed to Russian intelligence activities.
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