BERLIN — Two drones were spotted over a German military base in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, authorities said on Saturday, days after an explosives-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport, raising fresh security concerns over unauthorized drone activity around sensitive sites.
The Bundeswehr said its security center at the Mechernich military site detected two drones at about 10 p.m. local time on Thursday. Military police were deployed after the sighting, and the Euskirchen police department opened an investigation, the German armed forces said.
Authorities did not provide details about the drones, their operators or their purpose, and there was no immediate indication that they were carrying explosives or that the military base had been attacked. Police had not publicly identified any suspects.
The sighting came two days after German authorities discovered a drone carrying explosives near Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The device was defused, and Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a “new quality of danger.”
Leipzig/Halle is a major freight hub and plays a role in transporting equipment and supporting NATO and European missions. The airport is also used by Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft and hosts NATO's Strategic Airlift International Solution, which supports alliance missions along NATO's eastern flank.
Dobrindt said Germany faced what he described as daily “hybrid warfare” from abroad, citing espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and covert operations intended to destabilize the country. He did not identify a specific country in the comments reported on Sunday.
Some German lawmakers have suggested Russia could be responsible for the Leipzig incident, but no German authority has publicly established that link. The Russian Embassy in Berlin rejected the allegations, calling the Leipzig episode a “fabricated provocation” and saying accusations against Russia lacked evidence.
German authorities have not said whether the Mechernich drone sightings are connected to the Leipzig airport incident. The investigation into the military-base sightings remains ongoing.
