Explosive drone forces shutdown at major German airport serving NATO, Ukraine flights
A drone carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian plane at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport late Tuesday, prompting officials to warn the incident represented "a new quality of danger," authorities said Wednesday.The discovery temporarily shut down both runways at the major European freight hub and forced several flights to divert to other airports, according to The Associated Press.Another flying object was spotted nearby shortly before midnight and several flights, including one passenger plane, were then diverted to other airports.JETBLUE FLIGHT REPORTS DRONE STRIKE DURING APPROACH TO NEW YORK AIRPORT: FAAPolice said an airport worker had found the first drone near the airport's south runway with "an unknown explosive device." (Hendrik Schmidt/DPA via AP)German police launched a large response and opened an investigation into the two incidents.Police said an airport worker found the first explosive drone near the airport's south runway with "an unknown explosive device."An explosives-disposal robot was deployed to examine the device before authorities removed its detonator.The plane, bearing the blue-and-yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, displayed the English-language slogan, "Be Brave Like Kherson," a tribute to the southern Ukrainian region, Deutsche Welle reported.In the second incident, an unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft that had aborted its landing at Leipzig/Halle Airport because of the runway closure.HELICOPTER REPORTS NEAR MISS WITH RC PLANE NEAR JFK AFTER JETBLUE DRONE STRIKEThe plane bore the blue-and-yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.(Hendrik Schmidt/DPA via AP)The aircraft diverted to Hannover Airport, about 125 miles north-west of Leipzig, where officials found minor damage, according to The Associated Press.German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the discovery of the first drone marked a significant escalation."Drone sightings, drone threats, including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the p...