Leipzig airport drone incident linked to package sabotage case investigated in Lithuania
Investigators have found that DNA traces recovered after an explosive-laden drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport match evidence from a July 2024 sabotage case at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig, though no specific person has yet been identified.
German investigators say DNA traces found in connection with a drone discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4 match evidence collected after an incident at DHL's logistics center in Leipzig in July 2024. The traces have not yet been linked to a specific individual.
The package sabotage case
In July 2024, four packages were sent from Lithuania to the United Kingdom and Poland. Two of them, containing flammable objects, were shipped via DHL — one package caught fire at Leipzig airport, while the other ignited in a warehouse in the UK.
Charges related to the incendiary devices have been brought against Lithuanian citizen Aleksandr Šuranov, Ukrainian citizens Vadim Borsuk and Vasil Kovač, dual Russian-Lithuanian citizen Daniil Jencjus, and Russian citizen Eldar Salmanov.
The drone incident in Leipzig
On August 4, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonator was spotted near a Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. An airport employee shot the drone down. The airport serves as a base for Ukrainian airline Antonov Airlines and is one of Europe's key cargo hubs, handling shipments for the German armed forces and NATO allies as well.
Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal previously reported that US intelligence agencies have linked the drone at Leipzig airport to Russia.
