Vehicle breaks through fence at Leipzig/Halle airport, search so far fruitless
A vehicle broke through a perimeter fence at Germany's Leipzig/Halle airport, federal police said. Investigators are keeping all options open; the north runway reopened at 2 p.m.
Archive image · Photo: MarcelX42 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
A vehicle broke through a perimeter fence at Leipzig/Halle airport in eastern Germany, federal police said Sunday. The damage was discovered during a routine patrol shortly before 11 p.m. on Saturday. The vehicle apparently drove a few meters into the secure area and then back out. A police spokesman said the entry itself was not observed but the evidence at the scene showed it. Brake marks were found, and an accident has not been ruled out.
Officers searched the northern part of the airport with a helicopter and drones from the morning but found neither the vehicle nor any unauthorized people or suspicious objects. Police said they were investigating in all directions. The north runway was closed and reopened at 2 p.m.; the south runway stayed open throughout.
The damaged section lies along a public road, and the airport said no recording camera covers it. Three Russian Antonov cargo planes grounded by EU sanctions since 2022 are parked in the northern area, though not near the damaged fence, according to the airport. In early August, a drone carrying explosives was found next to Ukrainian cargo planes at the airport. Berlin blamed Russia, which denied involvement. It is unclear whether the incidents are linked.