German investigators find third drone, explosives after failed airport attack, media say

DHL AG

25/08/2026 06:19

BERLIN, Aug 25 (Reuters) - German investigators discovered a third drone and suspected explosives linked to this month's attempted attack on the Leipzig/Halle airport, broadcasters NDR and WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said on Tuesday.
The drone was found on August 14, 10 days after the incident, to the west of the airport, where investigators also discovered about 50 grams (1.8 oz) of a substance they suspected to be the military explosive hexogen, the media reports said.
The office of the prosecutor general did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Security sources cited in the reports suspect Russian intelligence involvement in the attempted attack, an accusation Moscow has denied.
On August 4, an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used for military supplies. Investigators also suspect a second drone may have collided with a DHL cargo plane soon after the airport's temporary shutdown.
The airport is a cargo and military logistics hub used by NATO and Ukraine's Antonov Airlines for military supplies.

 (Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
 ((friederike.heine@thomsonreuters.com;))