Germany denies reports of ammunition aboard Ukrainian aircraft in Leipzig
Photo: A drone incident occurred near an An-124 transport aircraft in Leipzig (Getty Images)
The German Ministry of the Interior denies reports that a drone carrying explosives was detected near a cargo plane carrying ammunition for Ukraine, according to Deutsche Welle.
Bundestag committee meeting
At a joint meeting of the chairs of the Bundestag's Defense and Interior Affairs committees, it was reported that there were no weapons or ammunition on board the plane—as reported by the dpa news agency, citing information consistent with a previous report by Focus magazine.
Detlef Seif, chairman of the Committee on Internal Affairs, also refutes these reports.
"The aircraft was not loaded with ammunition or weapons," he tells Reuters.
What airport operator says
Maret Montavon, head of communications and public relations at Mitteldeutsche Flughafen, the company that operates Leipzig Airport, told the Leipziger Volkszeitung that there was no cargo on board the plane at all.
"The Antonov aircraft in question was empty at the time of the incident and, therefore, carried no cargo. This assessment is consistent with the information we have received from Antonov Logistics SALIS," Montavon said.
The German Ministry of the Interior has not yet responded to an official request for comment.
Sources in security circles previously reported that on Tuesday, a drone carrying explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian An-124 Condor cargo plane. The Federal Police defused the explosive device.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has invited several European counterparts to a meeting following this incident, his Ministry confirmed on Thursday. The purpose of the meeting is to coordinate a joint strategy for drone defense and to strengthen the security of critical infrastructure.
