Police seize drone near Ukrainian aircraft at German airport

DPAWed, August 5, 2026 at 9:33 AM UTC1 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.

A drone detected near a Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft at Germany's Leipzig airport was fitted with an explosive device and a detonator, security sources said on Wednesday, after the discovery disrupted overnight flight operations.

The drone was spotted shortly before midnight and later secured by police. It has since been examined using X-ray equipment, the sources told dpa.

A NATO official confirmed the drone sighting, saying: "We are aware of the incident, which the German authorities continue to investigate."

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Earlier, police had said only that several aircraft, including a passenger plane, were diverted after an unidentified flying object was reported near Leipzig/Halle Airport and a suspicious item was found near the southern runway.

Operations in the airport's northern section resumed shortly before 2 am (0000 GMT) on Wednesday, while the southern runway was still closed as investigations continue.

Local police have launched an investigation in cooperation with Germany's federal police.