German investigators find another drone, explosives near Leipzig Airport

Several drones may have been used in a recent attempt to attack Leipzig Airport, with German authorities discovering another drone and possible military-grade explosives, media reports said Tuesday.

According to public broadcasters NDR, WDR, and daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung, investigators currently believe that several drones, rather than just one, were used.

The first drone was found on the airport grounds, while a second may have collided with a DHL aircraft.

A third drone, which had not previously been reported, was found in the early evening of Aug. 14 in a field in Kabelsketal, an area in the Saale district of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt that directly borders the western part of Leipzig Airport, according to security sources.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor's Office declined to comment when asked about the matter.

Security sources said that forensic technicians from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) arrived at the site on Aug. 14 along with additional police forces.

The following day, investigators reportedly discovered a substance that, according to initial assessments, may have been approximately 50 grams (1.8 ounces) of the highly explosive military compound hexogen.

The findings raised the possibility that the perpetrators may have been planning a larger attack than previously known publicly.

It has been just under three weeks since a drone carrying explosives was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

According to investigators, the drone was intended to attack a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane used to transport military equipment. The attack failed, however, because the bomb's detonator was apparently defective.

Investigators from the BKA are now working on behalf of Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel to determine how the attack was intended to unfold and who was responsible.