politics
US intelligence ‘believes Russia was behind Leipzig airport drone bomb’
German government talks of a ‘new level of danger’ but declines to say who it thinks was responsible for device
TL;DR
- US intelligence agencies suspect Russia was behind a drone attack on Leipzig airport last week.
- The drone, found near a Ukrainian cargo plane, was laden with explosives.
- German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a "new level of danger" and a "professional hybrid threat scenario."
- Investigators found DNA traces linking the incident to a previous firebomb attack at the same airport.
- Suspects in the earlier firebomb attacks are on trial in Lithuania and alleged to have been employed by Russian intelligence.
- German officials have not publicly accused Russia, despite intelligence pointing towards Moscow.
- The drone bypassed airport defenses and was only detected by an alert bus driver.
- A DHL cargo plane reportedly collided with a second drone while aborting its landing.
- Drones were also detected over a German army installation housing US Patriot air-defense systems.
- Germany plans to double its federal anti-drone team.
- Moscow denies involvement, calling accusations a "rashly contrived provocation."
- German restraint may be due to the potential for escalation and the complex geopolitical situation, including upcoming elections and past investigations (e.g., Nord Stream).