DistantNews
Support us
Bus driver knocks down bomb drone at Leipzig Airport
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด Norway /Energy & Infrastructure

Bus driver knocks down bomb drone at Leipzig Airport

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

Translated from Norwegian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A bus driver at Leipzig Airport in Germany is being hailed as a hero for knocking down a suspected bomb drone.
  • The drone, reportedly equipped with professional explosives, crashed near a Ukrainian transport plane.
  • German authorities have launched a terror investigation into the incident, which also caused minor damage to a DHL cargo plane.

A quick-thinking bus driver at Leipzig Airport has potentially averted a major attack by knocking down a suspected bomb drone. The dramatic incident occurred near a Ukrainian transport plane, and German authorities have launched a terror investigation.

The drone, described by prosecutors as being equipped with professional explosives and a detonator, crashed shortly after the bus driver intervened. Detlef Seif, a member of the federal parliament's interior committee, told journalists that the driver noticed the drone flying low while working at the airport on Tuesday. Seif praised the driver's action as "very daring and brave, but also very dangerous," adding that the intervention may have prevented a planned attack.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is a strategically important hub, handling military equipment for both the German military and NATO. It also serves as a base for the Ukrainian cargo airline Antonov Airlines and is used by other freight carriers, including DHL. The drone was found on the southern runway, near an Antonov An-124 transport aircraft. Police later neutralized the explosive device.

The bus driver's action was very daring and brave, but also very dangerous. It is possible that his intervention prevented the planned attack.

โ€” Detlef SeifDescribing the bus driver's actions and their potential impact.

Adding to the confusion, another unidentified flying object collided with a DHL cargo plane shortly after the runway was closed. The DHL aircraft was diverted to Hannover, where minor damage was discovered. This second flying object has not yet been found. A large police presence searched the area along the northern runway.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has not ruled out the possibility of foreign state actors being involved, warning that the incident could be part of a hybrid attack. Germany has previously accused Russia of orchestrating such attacks, though the Kremlin has denied the allegations. The Russian embassy in Berlin did not respond to inquiries about the drone incident.

This is not something one should imitate. It is enough to notify us.

โ€” Armin SchusterAdvising the public against replicating the driver's dangerous actions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.