A police officer in protective clothing walks next to an explosive-disarming robot (EOD) at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, 5 August 2026;
Credit: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo
BERLIN (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 25 August 2026.
The drone was found on 14 August 2026, ten days after the incident, to the west of the airport, where investigators also discovered about 50 grams 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 4 August 2026, 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.
