'Security related' incident diverts flights to German airport

German police said Wednesday that a "security related" incident involving an unidentified object found at an airport forced the diversion of flights and the deployment of a bomb disposal robot overnight.

The Bild newspaper said the object found at Leipzig-Halle airport was a drone with a detonator and possibly explosives, discovered near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft, but police contacted by AFP did not immediately confirm the report.

Video footage from a local news agency showed the bomb removal robot near the Antonov plane with the words "Be Brave Like Kherson" written on the side, a reference to a Ukrainian region battered by Russian strikes.

Bild also reported that another cargo plane later collided with an unknown object in mid-air about six kilometres (four miles) from the airport but landed safely at Hanover airport, where minor damage was discovered on the nose section.

Police said in a brief statement Wednesday morning that "shortly before midnight, an unidentified flying object was sighted near Leipzig-Halle Airport, prompting the diversion of several aircraft -- including a passenger plane -- to other airports".

A passenger plane from Mallorca as well as several cargo planes heading there had to be sent to other locations.

"In addition, an object was detected near the southern runway, which was initially examined by the Federal Police, a process that involved the deployment of an explosives disposal robot," police said.

They did not confirm whether the object was detonated, of if it was the same one spotted previously.

A police spokesman told AFP the incident did "not pose any danger for the public".

Regular traffic at the airport resumed in the early hours of Wednesday but only on the north runway, while investigators looked for clues on the southern runway.

Germany and other European countries have repeatedly observed instances of drones flying over sensitive sites such as airports, military bases and industrial plants.

Authorities in Germany, one of Ukraine's biggest military supporters, have said they suspect Russia of orchestrating many of the incidents as part of a campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation.

In July 2024 a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig airport before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, part of what security services treated as a suspected Moscow-linked arson sabotage plot.

Russia has denied being behind any such incidents.

Last year a Chinese national was convicted for passing on information about flight schedules and cargo movements at Leipzig-Halle airport to a man spying for Beijing.

AFP

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