Investigators found traces of explosives a few metres from drone fragments recovered about 2 km from Wunstorf air base, and are testing whether the residue links to the failed August 4 attack at Leipzig Airport. Officials say the unmanned device near Wunstorf used homemade components rather than being a commercial drone. Forensic analysis is ongoing. Berlin has blamed Russia for the Leipzig incident; Moscow denies involvement and called Germany's response a "serious mistake."
Explosive Traces Found Near German Air Base After Drone Parts Discovery
Numerous Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force stand behind a fence at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region this morning. (is associated with: «Traces of explosives found near German air base after drone incident») Moritz Frankenberg/dpa
Investigators have detected traces of explosive material close to a German military base near where parts of an unmanned aerial device were recovered last week, officials told dpa. Authorities are probing whether the residue is linked to a failed drone attack at Leipzig Airport in August.
Sources said the suspicious substance was discovered just a few metres from the drone fragments, which were found by chance roughly 2 kilometres from the Wunstorf air base. Forensic testing on the material is ongoing and results have not yet been completed.
What Investigators Have Reported
Security sources told dpa the object recovered near Wunstorf was not a commercial hobby drone but a device assembled with homemade components. Reporters note some similarities between this device and the explosives-laden drone found near Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig Airport on August 4.
Officials have described the August incident as "not an isolated incident," according to German reports.
German public broadcasters NDR and WDR and the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung report that the device near Wunstorf — which was discovered by a farmer — may have been on the ground for an extended period, possibly up to two years, before being found.
Political Fallout
Berlin has publicly blamed Russia for the attempted attack at Leipzig Airport. In response to that incident, Germany closed the Russian General Consulate in Bonn and shuttered a prominent Russian cultural institution in Berlin that German authorities have long suspected of being used for intelligence activities. Moscow has denied involvement and described Berlin's actions as a "serious mistake."
The investigation near Wunstorf is ongoing as authorities await forensic results and continue to examine whether the findings connect to the August incident in Leipzig.
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