BERLIN
The premier of German state of Bavaria said police should be given authority to shoot down suspected drones after such aerial objects caused a temporary shutdown of Munich Airport, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
"The drone incidents demonstrate the intense pressure we're facing. From now on, our policy must be: shoot them down instead of waiting. Our police must be able to immediately take down drones," Markus Soeder told the Bild newspaper on Friday.
The regional conservative leader, who heads Germany's southern Bavaria state, also called for broader security measures, demanding what he termed an "Iron Dome for Germany" to protect critical infrastructure and military installations.
"We urgently need effective protection for all our infrastructure and military facilities," Soeder stressed. "Bavaria is proposing fast-track legislation. We are going to address this in our cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The federal government must also quickly adapt aviation security laws,” he said.
The comments came after drone sightings Thursday evening forced authorities to halt operations at Munich Airport, one of Germany's busiest travel hubs. The closure, which began at 10.30 pm local time, stranded approximately 3,000 passengers who had to spend the night on cots or in seats. Officials reported 17 flights could not land and 15 others were diverted to alternative airports.
Despite deploying specialized teams on the ground and police helicopters, Bavarian authorities have been unable to identify who operated the drones or determine their exact nature. Similar drone sightings in northern Germany last week also triggered alerts, but investigators failed to identify those responsible.
Earlier this week, the federal government announced plans to establish a national drone defense center to coordinate between state and federal authorities on drone threats. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the government would soon amend legislation to strengthen security forces' legal authority to counter unauthorized drones.