German officials are currently investigating whether a foreign state is behind an attempted attack at Leipzig airport, where a drone carrying explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated on Wednesday that Germany is facing a new level of danger, noting that only an apparently ripped detonator prevented the device from exploding on the tarmac.
According to a classified police report, the drone was found near Ukrainian aircraft that were loaded with military ammunition. The cargo, which included a tank filled with jet fuel, had been transported from France to Leipzig shortly before the discovery and was intended for further transit. The incident occurred at a major logistics hub that also serves as a base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines in Europe and acts as a Nato and German military logistics centre.
An airport staff member discovered the drone shortly before midnight on Tuesday, hovering near the ground between two Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft. While the airport is considered critical infrastructure, its drone defence sensor system failed to detect the device. Investigators believe, based on security footage, that the drone had been on site for several hours. Dobrindt told reporters that the drone seemed to have been modified to circumvent electronic detection. It was attached to a package of explosives roughly the size of a fist, according to the WDR-NDR-Süddeutsche report, and investigators said the substance inside was believed to be semtex, a powerful plastic explosive.
Dobrindt described the incident as part of a professional hybrid threat scenario, focusing on foreign powers as likely perpetrators. Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German parliament’s intelligence committee, directly blamed Russia for the attempted act of terrorism. While German authorities have not officially named Moscow, the suspicion is driven by the airport's role in supporting Ukraine since the 2022 invasion.
The discovery forced the suspension of air traffic, causing a DHL cargo plane arriving from Marseille to abort its approach. The plane subsequently collided with what is believed to be a second drone. That aircraft, which was also carrying dangerous goods, made an emergency landing in Hanover with minor damage. Bild said the drone that hit the DHL plane had a camera used to film the attack. Air traffic at Leipzig returned to normal by Thursday. This is not the first security incident at the facility; in July 2024, a firebomb sent via DHL ignited at the airport, part of a series of similar packages sent to the UK and Poland. Testimony this week at a trial in Lithuania of five people suspected of mailing the incendiary devices showed how narrowly the plane from Leipzig avoided being set on fire in mid-flight, which led to a pan-European investigation and the identification of 22 suspects linked to Russian intelligence.
The airport is about 12.5 miles (20km) from the centre of Leipzig, a city of more than 600,000 people. The facility hosts a major cargo processing centre that employs hundreds of people round the clock and is adjacent to two busy autobahn routes.
The media report said that plane had also been carrying unspecified “dangerous goods” before it made an emergency landing in Hanover, about 155 miles north-west, with minor damage.
