German airport alert apparently caused by driving lesson gone wrong

• Airport was targeted in attempted Russian drone attack on Ukrainian cargo planes in August

A weekend security alert at Leipzig Airport in eastern Germany was apparently caused by a driving practice session that went wrong, not a deliberate intrusion, local media reported on Monday.

Two men from Leipzig turned themselves in to police on Sunday evening, accompanied by lawyers, and said they had been preparing for a driving test when they lost control of their car and crashed through the airport’s security fence.

Police discovered the damaged fence at around 11 p.m. local time (2100GMT) on Saturday near three Russian Antonov An-124 cargo planes that have been parked at the airport since 2022.

The aircraft remain grounded under EU sanctions imposed after the Russia-Ukraine war began that year.

A 360-degree surveillance camera at the site did not record the incident, according to media reports.

The breach triggered a large-scale police search on Saturday night and marked the second major security incident at the airport in less than three months.

In early August, investigators found an explosive-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at the airport, a logistics hub for aid to Ukraine. It failed to detonate and was later defused.

In September, the German government said Russia was responsible for the hybrid attack.

Berlin subsequently ordered the closure of Russia’s Consulate General in Bonn and its cultural center in the capital.

Moscow has denied any involvement.