Germany Opens Terror Probe After Explosive Drone Found at Leipzig Airport
Leipzig, Germany
NEWS5 / AFP via Getty Images/Getty
What Happened
What Happened
Timeline
August 5, 2026
Runway closed and bomb unit inspection: The southern runway remained closed into Wednesday morning while police examined the object with a bomb disposal unit and all air traffic was routed via the northern runway; by around 10 a.m. Wednesday police said there were no current restrictions on flight operations. The object was still being identified during this period.
August 4, 2026
Operations suspended and diversions: Flight operations were immediately suspended as police launched a probe; a Marabu Airlines passenger aircraft arriving from Palma de Mallorca was diverted to Nuremberg and cargo operations at the DHL hub were significantly disrupted with departures delayed. One passenger flight and several cargo aircraft were diverted during the operation.
August 4, 2026
Suspicious object found on runway: Shortly after the drone sighting, a suspicious object was discovered on one of the airport's runways, later identified as being on the southern runway while the drone search continued. This discovery escalated the overnight police operation.
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Timeline
August 5, 2026
Runway closed and bomb unit inspection: The southern runway remained closed into Wednesday morning while police examined the object with a bomb disposal unit and all air traffic was routed via the northern runway; by around 10 a.m. Wednesday police said there were no current restrictions on flight operations. The object was still being identified during this period.
August 4, 2026
Operations suspended and diversions: Flight operations were immediately suspended as police launched a probe; a Marabu Airlines passenger aircraft arriving from Palma de Mallorca was diverted to Nuremberg and cargo operations at the DHL hub were significantly disrupted with departures delayed. One passenger flight and several cargo aircraft were diverted during the operation.
August 4, 2026
Suspicious object found on runway: Shortly after the drone sighting, a suspicious object was discovered on one of the airport's runways, later identified as being on the southern runway while the drone search continued. This discovery escalated the overnight police operation.
