An armed drone was discovered at Leipzig airport on Wednesday, close to Ukrainian cargo planes. The drone, which reportedly carried an unknown explosive device, did not detonate due to a faulty detonator, according to German media reports.
Police from the German state of Saxony confirmed the discovery by an employee in a secure cargo flight operations area near the airport's southern runway. Initial evidence points towards a Russian-orchestrated plot, although the identity of those responsible is unknown. This marks the first instance of a drone with explosives being found in Europe far from the Ukrainian border.
The attached bomb was reportedly made of PETN and semtex plastic explosive, with a local newspaper, Leipziger Volkszeitung, stating police discovered as much as 800g of explosive. An explosives expert from Cranfield University, Trevor Lawrence, said this amount would be "enough to do considerable damage" to a plane.
Leipzig airport serves as the European base for Ukrainian Antonov jets, used for heavy cargo, and is also utilised by Nato and the German military for transport. Nato stated it was aware of the incident.