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Leipzig/Halle Drone Defused
A drone with an explosive device was discovered near the runway at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle airport, prompting a temporary closure of parts of the airport and diversions of flights after an employee spotted a flying object near the runway overnight on Tuesday.
“The airport’s north runway was closed for about two hours and several flights were diverted”
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the incident posed “a new quality of danger,” and authorities used an explosives disposal robot to examine the object before removing the device’s detonator.
The airport’s north runway reopened later on Wednesday, while the south runway remained out of use due to scheduled maintenance, and authorities said there was no danger to travellers or airport employees and that flights were operating normally.
Investigators were also examining an apparent second flying object that collided with a freight aircraft after it aborted its landing because the runway was closed, and the aircraft diverted to Hannover airport where officials discovered minor damage during an inspection.
Hybrid Threat Framing
Dobrindt told reporters at Leipzig/Halle airport that “Drone sightings and drone threats, including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past,” while adding that “That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario.”
The Guardian reported that German police deployed a bomb disposal robot to defuse and destroy the explosive device, and that investigators were examining whether the thwarted attack could have been planned by a foreign power.
The Guardian also quoted Dobrindt warning that the incident did not appear to be the work of amateurs and that investigators were treating it as part of a “professional hybrid threat scenario”.
Reuters said Germany opened a counterterrorism investigation on Wednesday after the drone prompted the closure of parts of one of Europe’s biggest cargo hubs, and it quoted Dobrindt saying “All speculation about the explosives, the drone, its origin, and who is behind it, is now part of the investigation.”
Investigation and Disruption
Authorities said the investigation is being led by prosecutors in the eastern state of Saxony, who are responsible for politically motivated and extremist crimes, while authorities have not identified any suspects or attributed responsibility.
“Authorities have not identified any suspects or attributed responsibility”
Reuters reported that the southern runway of the airport, a major hub for DHL and Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, remained closed while explosives experts examined the drone and removed its detonator, and it said most operations resumed by morning after one runway was reopened.
Kyiv Post reported that German police raised the alarm after an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane and that a bomb-disposal robot removed the detonator from the explosive in the unmanned aerial vehicle found on the tarmac.
The Guardian said police and prosecutors stated “There is no danger to the lives or safety of passengers or airport staff,” while also noting that the southern runway where the drone was found remained closed and investigators looked for clues there.
