Drone sighted near Ukrainian cargo plane at German airport: Report

A drone was spotted near a Ukrainian aircraft at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, a major cargo hub, media reports cited a NATO spokesperson as saying Wednesday.

The drone reportedly carried explosives and a detonator, Focus news magazine reported, adding that police secured it overnight.

Operations at the airport were briefly suspended following the sighting of the drone.

A passenger flight and several cargo planes were rerouted.

The aircraft belonged to Ukrainian cargo carrier Antonov Airlines, the daily Leipziger Volkszeitung reported.

Police said an anti-explosives robot was deployed to secure the explosives attached to the drone.

German investigators said they had not ruled out sabotage.

The airport’s south runway remained closed as of Wednesday morning, causing significant disruptions to cargo flight operations, according to public broadcaster MDR.​​​​​​​