Lithuanian prosecutor confirms Leipzig drone incident link

Lithuania’s Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė has confirmed that a drone incident at Leipzig Airport is linked to Lithuania, LRT reported.

“I would remind you that one case has been referred to court and is being heard there, with five defendants. There is also a pretrial investigation involving about 10 suspects. Some have been placed on wanted lists, but the investigation is being conducted intensively, in cooperation with prosecutors and other institutions,” Grunskienė said.

German media previously reported possible links between DNA traces found on a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig Airport and cases involving incendiary parcels investigated in Lithuania.

According to information obtained by the German newspaper Die Zeit, the same DNA had previously been recorded in Lithuania. The newspaper reported that a drone carrying explosives and a detonator was found at Germany’s Leipzig Halle Airport in August, near a Ukrainian transport aircraft.

Security camera footage reportedly showed the drone crashing into the wing of an Antonov aircraft. Aircraft wings generally contain fuel tanks. Shortly after the airport was closed, a plane that had aborted its landing collided with a smaller unidentified flying object, possibly a second drone.

German newspaper Bild reported that the DNA had not yet been linked to any specific person. However, it allegedly matched traces recorded in 2024 in connection with a fire at a DHL logistics centre in Leipzig.

Based on data obtained by Die Zeit, there is currently no evidence that the two incidents are connected.

In July 2024, a parcel sent by air caught fire at the DHL logistics centre in Leipzig. Investigators later determined that it contained a concealed incendiary device. Similar incidents were also recorded in the United Kingdom and Poland.

In March, Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office brought charges against five people over activities linked to these incidents.