“Either it was Russia, or someone wanted it to look like Russia was behind it,” he said.
“If Russia is behind it, it would have been an act of war.”
Fiedler said the episode exposed a “serious gap” in Germany’s national security. He said counter-drone measures have long been a priority for the federal interior minister and state interior ministers, but the airport incident shows the need to strengthen those capabilities.
A drone carrying a detonator and an unidentified substance was discovered overnight on Aug. 5 at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Bild reported. German investigators believe it may have been an explosive device. The drone was found on the runway near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft.
The incident forced aircraft to divert. A DHL cargo plane delayed its landing and made an additional holding pattern before colliding in midair with an unidentified object, which may have been another drone. The pilots later confirmed the encounter.
On Aug. 6, German Interior Minister Alexander
Dobrindt said the incident was not the work of amateurs and may have involved a
foreign state.