Suspects in northern Germany. Authorities opened an investigation into espionage and sabotage
A group of drones cross the sky. Photo source: dreamstime.com
The Ministry of Interior of Land Schleswig-Holstein (from northern Germany) said on Friday that during the night (from Thursday to Friday), drones were observed in the Land's airspace and that they are the subject of an investigation for possible acts of espionage and sabotage, Reuters said, taken over by Agerpres.
The German authorities are in full alert after the incursions of unidentified drones have blocked air traffic in different areas of the country several times this week.
This is a “hybrid attack”. The first conclusions of Denmark after unidentified drones have closed several airports in the country, in the last week
Denmark, which is adjacent to Schleswig-Holstein, reported NATO allies that non-specific “state actors” are responsible for incursions.
The Interior Minister of Land Schleswig-Holstein, Sabine Suetterlin-Wack, said in a statement sent by e-mail that the incidents in Denmark caused his land to be in close consultation with the federal government and the German armed forces. “Of course, we, in Schleswig-Holstein, are investigating every suspicion of espionage and sabotage in this case and we remain very vigilant in this area,” she said.
A map showing the area of the German territory where the drones were observed was published online, according to the German media.
Copenhagen airport was closed on Tuesday for four hours after several big drones were seen nearby. At the same time, Oslo airport was closed for three hours, following a similar incident. The drones led to the cancellation of 100 flights in Copenhagen and affected 20,000 travelers, according to the Danish press.
The head of the Denmark police, Jens Jespersen, said in a press conference that “the drones behaved very strange” and came from different directions.
He also explained why the police did not bring down the unidentified drones on Monday evening: “An airport is a very inappropriate place for something to fall from heaven,” he said, adding that their breaking would have had serious consequences, because the airport is located in a densely populated area.
