DNA trace found on explosive-laden drone at Leipzig Airport

Investigators have found a DNA trace on a drone loaded with explosives that was discovered near Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport last week. The airport is used as a transit hub for military aid to Ukraine. The news was reported by the German outlet Bild.

According to the report, it is not yet possible to identify a specific person from the DNA trace, but investigators have been alarmed by a suspicious timing coincidence: the explosive-laden drone appeared in Leipzig on August 4 — almost simultaneously with the testimony given on August 3 in Lithuania by a DHL employee in a case involving parcels containing incendiary devices.

The Lithuanian incendiary parcels case

Five men are currently on trial in Lithuania, accused of sending four incendiary devices disguised as ordinary postal parcels across Europe. One of these devices caught fire at Leipzig Airport, though not aboard a DHL aircraft — apparently by pure chance, since the flight had been delayed.

European investigators say that, in connection with a series of fires caused by incendiary devices hidden in parcels in 2024, a total of 22 suspects have been identified, believed to have links to Russia.

Drone narrowly avoided colliding with an aircraft

The drone incident occurred late in the evening last Tuesday: a drone carrying explosives and a detonator was spotted near Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. One of the airport's staff managed to bring it down.

Shortly afterward, a cargo plane collided in mid-air with a small unidentified object above the airport — which may also have been a drone. The recovered drone was found to contain explosives and two SIM cards. According to the latest information from investigators, a disaster was narrowly averted — the drone failed to detonate, even though it had struck an aircraft parked on the ground beforehand.

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Source: novinky.cz