The Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany has denied rumors regarding the presence of weapons or ammunition aboard a Ukrainian cargo aircraft An-124 at Leipzig/Halle Airport, near which a drone carrying explosives was discovered, writes Deutsche Welle with reference to information from Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
"This was clearly pointed out during a closed-door briefing at the Bundestag, attended by members of the Internal Affairs and Defense Committees. Officially, the ministry did not comment on this information," the report states.
The publication specifies that on the night of August 5, a suspicious object was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport a few meters from a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane. An X-ray inspection revealed it was a small drone equipped with explosives and a detonator. It was neutralized using a remotely controlled robot. Leipzig airport temporarily suspended operations, and several flights were diverted to other airports.
Around the same time, a German DHL cargo plane that was unable to land in Leipzig collided with an unknown object while gaining altitude again, but continued its flight. After landing at a diversion airport in Hanover, light damage to the aircraft was detected. No one was injured.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that "it was not amateurs" behind the incident, but rather people who "acted professionally." He did not rule out that foreign states might be behind the incident.
Earlier, media reported that, according to a confidential police report, one of the Antonov cargo aircraft near which the explosive drone was found was allegedly loaded with military ammunition that had recently been transported from France to Leipzig and was likely intended for further transit.
According to the Ministry of Defense, there were no Bundeswehr military shipments at the airport at that time. Overall, Leipzig/Halle Airport is considered an important transport hub and logistics center for the military. According to official reports, Ukraine has also been using this airport since the start of the war in February 2022 as an alternative hub for military cargo transportation.
