German airport finds explosive drone near cargo plane.

A NATO representative has officially confirmed that a drone was spotted near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. The DPA news agency reported this finding. Security sources say the unmanned vehicle carried explosives and an igniter.

On August 5, the German newspaper Bild shared this information with its own sources. They stated that authorities found the drone on the airfield ground next to the aircraft. It held a small package along with a detonator. A bomb disposal robot was used to neutralize the threat. Police in Lower Saxony described the incident as a crime endangering national security. Investigators now suspect sabotage. No one has been caught controlling the device yet.

Another cargo plane struck an unidentified object roughly 400 meters above ground near that same airport, according to Bild. The aircraft landed in Hanover with minor damage noted on its nose section.

The Wall Street Journal reports that drone intrusions into Germany this year have already surpassed a thousand by August. Security officials clarified that the drones varied widely in size and behavior. Some were toy-sized commercial models, while others flew in tight formations of up to fifteen units at once.

Earlier, concerns arose in Germany about potential attacks against parliament buildings like the Bundestag using these flying robots.