German investigators have established new details in the investigation into an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport. Welt am Sonntag reports, citing classified case files.
According to the publication, one of the suspects, a Belarusian citizen with a Russian passport, Andrei Ka., had previously appeared in investigations in several European countries. As previously reported, he was identified through DNA evidence.
According to the outlet, DNA was found on remnants of gloves on an antenna structure that was presumably used to control the drone. The genetic traces matched data in Lithuanian and Finnish databases, where the Belarusian was listed in police records for ordinary criminal offenses. In Finland, he is listed, among other things, as a suspect in a theft.
Polish law enforcement agencies also link Ka. to the arson attack on a building materials store in Lodz in the summer of 2024. The Polish prosecutor’s office also classifies the incident as sabotage. According to Polish investigators, the trail in that case also leads to Russia.
German investigators established that Ka. used a Russian passport. It was previously reported that at the end of April he obtained an Italian tourist visa at the Italian Embassy in Minsk, after which he entered Germany using the visa.
The investigation considers Russian citizen Oleg Le. to be the second suspect. German intelligence agencies link him to Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, and believe he was responsible for preparing and organizing the operation. Le. entered Germany through Berlin Brandenburg Airport from Turkey and later flew from the same airport to Serbia. He is currently in Russia.
As a reminder, on the night of August 5, a drone carrying explosives was found and defused at Leipzig Airport near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft. The wreckage of two more drones was found nearby. Investigators believe the explosives were brought into Germany through Bulgaria and Serbia, presumably hidden in cavities inside trucks. German authorities said Russian intelligence services were behind the attempted sabotage. Russia has denied the allegations.
