European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
Explosive drone defused at Leipzig airport
Germany news: Explosive drone defused at Leipzig airport
DW ـ A German airport was disrupted for hours after an explosive-laden drone was discovered near one of the runways. Investigators are examining a possible political motive. DW has the latest.
Germany has seen repeated drone and sabotage incidents
The Leipzig airport incident comes after years of drone sightings over sensitive sites in Germany and other NATO allies since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The drone flyovers were reported above other airports, but also over military bases and industrial facilities.
German authorities have accused Russia of orchestrating many such incidents as part of a wider campaign involving sabotage, espionage and disinformation. Moscow has denied involvement.
Leipzig/Halle Airport was already at the center of a suspected sabotage plot in July 2024, when a parcel caught fire before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo aircraft. Security services treated the incident as potentially linked to Russia.
Last year, a Chinese national was also convicted of passing information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig/Halle Airport to a man accused of spying for Beijing.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, commented on the latest case by drawing a link to the 2024 DHL incident.
“Indeed, Russia has long been waging this hybrid war,” he said. “Yet the word ‘hybrid’ somehow downplays the fact that Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine but also against Europe.”
German Interior Minister Dobrindt cuts short holiday over Leipzig drone incident
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has interrupted his holiday to travel to Leipzig/Halle Airport for security talks following the drone incident.
He is due to meet Saxony Interior Minister Armin Schuster and senior federal and state security officials at the scene, his ministry said.
The head of Germany’s federal police Dieter Romann and domestic intelligence chief Sinan Selen are also expected to attend.
Dobrindt is then due to brief the media later in the day.
Schuster earlier warned of a “very serious security incident.”
He said state and federal security agencies were working closely together, including Germany’s joint center for countering hybrid threats and the federal police’s drone defense unit.
European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
