German media reports drone found at Leipzig/Halle Airport carried powerful military-grade explosives and landed beside an Antonov transporting ammunition from France; device apparently failed because of technical fault, while lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter points finger at Moscow
German media reported Thursday that the Ukrainian cargo plane beside which an explosive-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport was carrying military ammunition, a previously unknown detail that underscores how close the incident may have come to causing a disaster.
European and Western officials suspect Russian agents may have been behind the drone’s infiltration into the airport, although German authorities have not formally attributed responsibility. The device apparently failed to explode because of a technical malfunction.
The drone was discovered Tuesday near a parking area beside the airport’s runway, where a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane was stationed. Its discovery forced authorities to halt takeoffs and landings at Leipzig/Halle, a major freight hub that also handles numerous passenger flights. Several aircraft were diverted to nearby airports.
Investigators later confirmed that the drone was carrying explosives and a detonator, but said a technical failure prevented the device from being activated. A bomb-disposal robot was deployed to neutralize it.
A separate DHL cargo aircraft diverted to Hannover subsequently reported being struck by an unidentified object about 400 meters from Leipzig/Halle Airport. Investigators believe the object may have been another drone and continued searching Thursday for debris from the collision.
The incident comes after two years of repeated unidentified drone incursions over civilian airports and strategic installations across Europe.
Intelligence officials believe Russian security agencies are highly likely to be behind at least some of those flights, which they suspect are intended to disrupt European transportation, spread fear and deter governments from continuing their military and economic support for Ukraine.
According to German media reports, forensic experts concluded that the explosive attached to the drone was highly powerful and of a type used by military forces. The package containing the explosive was approximately the size of a fist.
Repeated testing reportedly indicated that the substance was highly likely to be Semtex, a plastic explosive used for both military and industrial purposes.
The Ukrainian aircraft parked nearby was reportedly carrying ammunition that had arrived in Leipzig from France shortly beforehand and was intended for onward transportation. Had the drone’s explosive device detonated, the ammunition could also have ignited.
(Photo: NEWS5 / AFP)
German authorities are treating the incident as a terrorism investigation, with the revelations about the Antonov’s cargo adding to the gravity of the case.
Leipzig/Halle Airport serves as a major military logistics center and is designated by the German government as critical infrastructure. It supports German and NATO military transportation and has also become an important base for Ukrainian cargo operations.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident Wednesday as a hybrid attack representing a heightened level of danger.
He said the drone appeared to have been professionally modified to evade existing defense systems, calling the incident an escalation of the threat facing Germany.
A Leipzig/Halle Airport spokesperson said Thursday that operations had returned to normal and that no additional security measures had been introduced. The airport is also used by major freight carriers including Lufthansa Cargo, DHL and Amazon.
Although German authorities have not officially named any country or organization as responsible, Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter, who also sits on the parliamentary intelligence oversight committee, directly accused Russia.
“It was Moscow,” he said.
As reported by Ynetnews