Get you up to speed: ‘Explosive drone’ found next to plane shuts down runway at airport in Germany | News World
German police are investigating an attempted sabotage after a drone rigged with explosives was discovered next to a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport. The drone, found just before midnight, contained an unknown substance and a detonator, and authorities have confirmed there were no injuries or fatalities.
German police have not disclosed any leads in their investigation into the attempted sabotage at Leipzig-Halle Airport. Authorities confirmed that the drone was discovered shortly before midnight and prompted the deployment of a bomb squad, ensuring no injuries occurred during the incident.
German police are investigating the potential sabotage of a Ukrainian cargo plane after a drone with explosives was found at Leipzig-Halle Airport, though no leads have emerged. Authorities are likely to increase security measures at the airport in light of past suspected Russian interference with aircraft systems.
What remains unclear — Investigators have not identified any suspects in the possible sabotage incident at Leipzig-Halle Airport.
Explosive drone found near Ukrainian cargo plane prompts investigation at Leipzig-Halle Airport
German police are investigating attempted sabotage after a drone rigged with explosives was found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane in Leipzig.
The Ukrainian An-124 cargo aeroplane had been at Germany’s Leipzig-Halle Airport, a major hub for cargo aircraft.
Just before midnight, the drone was found next to the Ukrainian cargo plane, with an ‘unknown substance and detonator’ fitted to it.
Police called a bomb squad to conduct a remote detonation, and there were no injuries or fatalities. Leipzig-Halle Airport also serves commercial aircraft passengers, but in a separate area.
Police in Germany are investigating the discovery as a possible sabotage attack, but no leads have been produced so far.
The cargo plane was targeted just after midnight (Picture: Getty)
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Russia has been suspected of multiple plots to set fire to or detonate explosives near cargo.
In 2024, a DHL plane flying from Leipzig Airport to Lithuania crashed, killing one and injuring three others.
That incident came just months after Russian-backed saboteurs were believed to be behind a firebomb which detonated at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham – dubbed a ‘test run’ by spies from the country.
Before the blaze in Birmingham, a near-identical fire occurred at a DHL warehouse in Leipzig, Germany – where the plane that crashed near Lithuania departed from – with another suspect package bound for a flight thought to be the source of the blaze.
European authorities, including MI6, previously alleged that Russia is behind the expanding campaign of sabotage on planes.
Leipzig Airport is a major cargo hub for international carriers (Picture: Reuters)
Russia is suspected to have been targeting aircraft systems for years, but their suspected meddling with Ryanair, Wizz-Air, British Airways, Easyjet, TUI and Jet2 systems was only uncovered after an open-source investigation.
Between August 2023 and March 2024 alone, 46,000 flights in areas such as the Baltic, Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean logged interference issues.
Warnings of Russian interference with plane navigation systems are not unheard of – and the Kremlin has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
In 2019, the Norwegian defence ministry brought up the issue in a bilateral meeting with Russian officials.
The electronic attacks have also been allegedly deployed in the Donbas, eastern Ukraine, dating back to 2015.
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