Explosive drone found near An-124 in Leipzig: airport closed, DHL plane hit object in midair

German police defused a drone carrying explosives that was found near Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle airport. The incident happened shortly before midnight on August 4, when an airport employee spotted the device hovering low above the ground between two parked An-124 planes operated by Antonov Airlines. According to The Guardian, the drone had been modified to evade the airport's anti-drone defense systems, Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt said at a press conference.

Dobrindt said the drone carried a fist-sized package of a substance believed to be the plastic explosive Semtex. The explosion was prevented only by a failed detonator. Police used a bomb disposal robot to disarm the device and later carried out a controlled detonation, BBC News reports.

Contrary to some media reports, Germany's Interior Ministry denied that the Ukrainian aircraft were carrying weapons or munitions for delivery to Ukraine, according to Deutsche Welle. Officials said the planes were empty at the time of the incident.

The incident forced Leipzig/Halle airport, one of Europe's largest air cargo hubs, to close to all air traffic for several hours. That caused 19 flights to be diverted, including a DHL Boeing 757 that aborted its landing approach, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24. As the aircraft climbed again, it collided with an unidentified object midair and landed in Hanover with minor damage. German authorities are investigating the possibility that the object was a second drone.

No suspects have been officially named, but a counterterrorism investigation has been opened. Dobrindt acknowledged that "we are dealing with a contest here that possibly involves foreign powers," describing the incident as a "hybrid threat scenario."