Third Drone, Explosives Found at German NATO Airport
Third Drone, Explosives Found at German NATO Airport
The News
German investigators have found a third drone and suspected explosives tied to this month's attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport, public broadcasters NDR and WDR and the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Tuesday.
The drone turned up on August 14, ten days after the incident, west of the airport. Investigators there also found about 50 grams of a substance they suspect is the military explosive hexogen, according to the reports.
Security sources cited in the reports suspect Russian intelligence was behind the attempted attack. Moscow has denied involvement.
Timeline
An explosives-laden drone is discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used to transport military supplies at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The airport is temporarily shut down.
Investigators come to suspect a second drone may have collided with a DHL cargo aircraft.
A third drone is found west of the airport, along with roughly 50 grams of a substance suspected to be hexogen.
NDR, WDR and Sueddeutsche Zeitung report the third drone find. Reuters reports the office of the prosecutor general did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reactions
Russia has denied the accusations that it was behind the attempted attack.
The German prosecutor general's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the latest find.
The findings so far have come through German media citing security sources rather than through an official announcement of the investigation's conclusions.
What's Next
The investigation remains open, with the prosecutor general's office yet to comment publicly on the third drone and the suspected hexogen.
Investigators are still working through whether the second drone struck the DHL cargo aircraft after the airport was temporarily closed.
More
Leipzig/Halle is one of Germany's most important cargo airports and doubles as a military logistics hub. It is used by NATO and by Ukraine's Antonov Airlines to move military supplies — which is why a drone carrying explosives found next to an Antonov freighter there set off alarms well beyond Germany.
Poll question for readers: Should NATO treat drone sabotage at a military logistics airport as an attack on the alliance?
Charleston White Arrested Again on Florida Battery Charge
Border Patrol Rescues MS NOW Crew in Desert
Sep 13, 2026
Supreme Court Restores Missouri's Old House Map
Sep 13, 2026
Alaska Drops Felony Voter Charges Against Samoans
Sep 13, 2026
Trespasser Breaches Harris' Malibu Estate; No Arrest
Sep 12, 2026
Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes
Sep 12, 2026
Houthis Seize Mokha, Choking Saudi Oil Exports
Sep 12, 2026
Altman Rules Out OpenAI IPO This Year
Sep 12, 2026
Jury Acquits Lil Durk in Murder-for-Hire Case
Sep 12, 2026
Judge: Trump Broke Law Halving FEMA Staff
Sep 12, 2026
Maher Calls Democrats' Gaza Genocide Claim a Lie
Sep 12, 2026
Blizzard Revives StarCraft, Sends Diablo to Netflix
Sep 12, 2026
Trump's Queens Childhood Home Sells for $1.93M
Sep 12, 2026
Scientists Find New Virus in Tick Invading US
Sep 12, 2026
Britain Bans Settlement Imports; US States Threaten Payback
Sep 12, 2026
Prison Fire Kills 7 as Kurds Protest Killing
Sep 12, 2026
Kosovo Rallies for Ex-President Before Hague Verdict
Sep 12, 2026
Cruz Booed at GameDay Over College Sports Bill
Sep 12, 2026
Blast Hits Bulgarian Arms Plant Supplying Ukraine
Sep 12, 2026
DOJ Loses Nearly Every Protester Assault Trial
Sep 12, 2026
Sep 13, 2026