A discarded device near a vital cargo aircraft has opened a new investigative trail, connecting a Leipzig airport incident to an earlier case.
DNA traces were found on a drone discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo plane at Leipzig Airport. According to German media, the traces may match evidence from another criminal case involving the arson attack on a DHL logistics center in 2024.
Investigators have not yet identified the person to whom the DNA belongs. At the same time, they found a match with evidence from the case concerning the arson attack at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig on July 20, 2024. There is currently no evidence linking this person to the drone incident.
What is known about the DHL arson case
As part of the investigation into the arson attack on the logistics center, German investigators charged five people. One of them was due to testify one day before the drone was found near the Ukrainian An-124.
In July 2024, parcels exploded at DHL logistics centers in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany. According to media reports, agents recruited by Russia may have been involved in the incidents. They allegedly had enough explosives to cause widespread disruption to the aviation industry.
The drone incident in Leipzig
In the early hours of August 5, operations at Leipzig Airport were suspended after a drone was found near a Ukrainian transport aircraft. The airport is an important logistics hub for transporting Western aid to Ukraine.
Surveillance cameras recorded a drone flying toward the An-124 at around 7:30 p.m., striking one of its wings, bouncing off, and falling to the ground. According to preliminary information, the drone was carrying an explosive device, but it failed to detonate. The reason remains unknown.
German publication Die Zeit noted that aircraft wings usually contain fuel tanks. Therefore, if the intention was to blow up the aircraft, the drone was likely aimed specifically at this part of the plane.
Another incident occurred that same night. A cargo aircraft that was unable to land because the airport had been temporarily closed collided with another object at an altitude of several hundred meters near the airfield.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no one was injured in the drone incident. The Ukrainian company’s aircraft were also not damaged.
Was the An-124 carrying ammunition?
WDR, NDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, citing a confidential police report, reported that the Ukrainian An-124 may have been carrying ammunition. The ammunition had allegedly been delivered from France to Leipzig shortly beforehand and was scheduled to be transported onward.
However, German authorities officially stated that there was no ammunition on board the aircraft. The investigation into the drone’s origin and its possible links to other criminal cases is ongoing.