Drone with explosives found at German airport, official sees 'new quality' of threat

A forensic technician works alongside a bomb-disposal robot near a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport, where a drone with an explosive device was found and a detonator was removed. Authorities described the incident as a 'new quality of danger,' with the German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt calling it a 'hybrid attack scenario.' The south runway was closed, and a passenger plane was diverted to Hannover after a second flying object collided with a freight airplane. The north runway reopened after about two hours, and there was no danger to passengers or employees. Photos showed police technicians with an explosives-disposal robot near a Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft. The airport is a major cargo hub, and NATO acknowledged awareness of the incident but referred to German authorities. In 2024, a similar plot involving an incendiary device was suspected of being linked to Russian intelligence.