A drone with an explosive device has been found at an airport in Germany, authorities have said.
An airport employee found the flying object near the south runway of Leipzig/Halle Airport, in Saxony, after it was sighted shortly before midnight, according to the police.
An anti-explosives robot was then deployed to check the object and a detonator was removed from it, authorities said.
Photos from the scene showed police technicians with the explosives-disposal robot near a Ukrainian plane, which was parked at the airport.
The airport is a major cargo hub, and houses Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft.
There was no immediate information about who was responsible for the drone, and Nato said it had referred queries to German authorities.
Flights were not affected on Wednesday, police said, and there was no danger to passengers or airport staff.
Meanwhile, an apparent second flying object also collided with a freight airplane that had been forced to abort its landing at the airport.
The plane – reported to be transporting DHL cargo – flew to another German airport, Hannover, about 200 kilometress (125 miles) to the northwest, where officials found slight damage.
“A suspected second unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft after it had taken off again following the previous closure of the runway,” investigators said.
In 2024, there was a fire at Leipzig/Halle Airport which happened as part of a series of arson attacks across Europe.
An incendiary device, designed to start destructive fires, ignited at a logistics centre at the airport and set fire to a freight container.
Western security officials suspected Russian intelligence was behind the incident, which saw the flight the container was supposed to take be delayed.
German Interior Ministry spokesperson Leonard Kaminski said he did not see a connection between the incidents at this stage.
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