A major security scare unfolded at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport after authorities discovered a drone carrying an explosive device near one of the airport's runways. The incident forced the closure of both runways, diverted flights and triggered a large-scale bomb disposal operation. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the discovery as "a new quality of danger" and called it a possible "hybrid attack scenario." Investigators are now examining the drone, its explosive payload and whether a second flying object was also involved after a cargo aircraft sustained minor damage. Ukraine's ambassador to Germany suggested Russia could be behind the incident, while Moscow has not commented. German authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
A security crisis unfolded at Leipzig Halle Airport in Germany after a drone rigged with explosives was discovered near the south runway. The incident caused significant flight disruptions and has been labeled by German officials as a sophisticated \"hybrid attack,\" raising concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the involvement of foreign powers.
Just before midnight, panic and a major security scare gripped Germany.
A drone carrying explosives was discovered at Leipzig Halle Airport,
one of Germany's busiest cargo hubs and a key logistics gateway in Europe.
Within moments, air traffic was thrown into chaos. Both runways were immediately shut down.
Flights were diverted. Bomb disposal teams rushed to the scene.
The drone was discovered by an airport employee near the airport's south runway.
According to reports, the device was a quadcopter found near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft.
German police quickly deployed an explosives disposal robot,
safely removed the detonator and secured the area.
Germany's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, called it a new quality of danger.
Cutting short his vacation, Dobrindt rushed to the airport and issued a stark warning.
He said Germany has dealt with drone threats before,
but finding a drone armed with explosives at a major international airport
represents an entirely new level of threat.
The minister described the incident as a hybrid attack scenario,
raising fears that it may have been an attempt to test or disrupt critical infrastructure.
To begin with, I must emphasize that we are currently facing a truly grave
and highly concerning security-related incident at this very moment.
In my professional assessment of the situation,
we are facing a complex, highly sophisticated hybrid attack.
It was only just last night, you see.
An unidentified drone was spotted hovering near Leipzig airport.
It was later confirmed that this particular drone had been rigged with dangerous explosives.
This represents an entirely new and unprecedented level of threat.
We have certainly seen drone sightings and various drone threats before,
even within a complex hybrid context.
But a drone that is armed with explosives and found directly on airport grounds,
that is an entirely new, alarming and much more dangerous threat scenario.
It would be extremely short-sighted to assume that this specific type of threat,
which we know objectively exists,
could be effectively countered or dealt with through one simple, isolated measure.
We are looking at a complex, ongoing competition here.
I suppose that might be true.
Also involve foreign powers.
That'll be part of the investigation into those who clearly want to cause
significant unrest in Germany.
Not just at airports, but elsewhere too.
And not just with drones, but through other means.
This is part of the hybrid threat landscape we are facing today.
So far, however, German authorities have not identified who was behind the incident.
Investigators are examining the explosive device,
tracing the drone's origin and searching for those responsible.
The mystery deepened further when police revealed
that a second flying object may also have been involved.
According to investigators, another unidentified object reportedly collided with a cargo aircraft
after the pilot aborted a landing because the runway had already been closed.
The aircraft diverted safely to Hanover airport,
where later inspectors found minor damage.
Authorities are now searching for debris that could belong to a second drone.
Today, just after midnight,
an unidentified flying object was spotted here.
And the airport and all its partners, the cargo companies here,
the federal police, the state police,
everyone reacted immediately and had to restrict flight operations,
shut them down in this area.
And that resulted in several planes having to be diverted.
Yeah, so we still have to verify that at the moment.
What's clear is that there was a sighting.
Based on that sighting, you have to react because it's a safety relevant incident.
And at roughly the same time, an object was also found on the south runway,
which couldn't be identified at first.
And that's why the federal police reacted very well.
And clearly, they recognized the danger, brought in their specialists
and conducted the first investigations on this object.
They're not finished yet.
That's why I can't explain at the moment whether the object actually poses a danger or not.
That will be perfectly clear by the end of the day.
Yeah, so the object, which I've also personally seen in photos,
is located in the area of a concrete runway on the south runway.
And that's where it was found.
It's been cordoned off accordingly,
but the cordon has no impact on the people working here.
Well, obviously, it does in the immediate vicinity,
but above all, not on the people or passengers
who want to start their vacation today or are coming back.
NATO said it is aware of the alarming incident,
but has referred all questions to German authorities.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeev, told Welt TV,
who else could it be but Russia?
Russia has not commented on the allegation.
Germany and several other European countries
have experienced a series of suspicious, unauthorized drone overflights
targeting airports, military bases, ports and logistics hubs.
German authorities have previously accused Russian agents
of being behind some of those incidents,
allegations that Moscow has repeatedly denied.
Germany remains the largest single national supplier of military aid to Ukraine
and has also accused Russia of orchestrating a campaign of sabotage,
espionage and disinformation against the country.
The Kremlin has consistently rejected those accusations.
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