BERLIN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- German investigators have discovered a third drone and military-grade explosives connected to an attempted sabotage at Leipzig Airport earlier this month, local media reported on Tuesday.
The latest findings came as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the incident as a "hybrid attack," warning that attackers are increasingly willing to risk human lives.
According to reports by German broadcasters WDR and NDR, alongside the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, authorities now believe multiple drones were deployed in the attack.
A previously undisclosed third drone was discovered in a field in the Kabelsketal area, close to the western part of the airport.
"Germany has increasingly become the target of hybrid attackers," Merz said on Tuesday at a press conference, noting that the government is working intensively to identify those behind the attack.
He vowed that the perpetrators would pay a price.
The initial incident occurred on Aug. 4, when an explosive-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft at Leipzig Airport. The attack failed due to a malfunction of its detonator.
Shortly after the first drone was reported, a DHL cargo plane collided with a flying object at high speed and then was safely diverted to Hannover. Investigators later found damage on the DHL plane consistent with a drone strike. ■