GERMANY is on high alert after more mysterious drones continued to menace airports and military installations across Europe.
Denmark, Norway and France are among the Nato countries where rogue drones were spotted – sparking massive security concerns.
AFPDrones were reportedly spotted flying over the Karup Air Base in Denmark[/caption]
GoogleThe air base in Denmark shares a runway with Midtjyllands Lufthavn airport[/caption]
X/@MSchieller69609Drones flew over multiple airports across Denmark and caused one of them to close for hours[/caption]
Footage showed a drone flying close to the Copenhagen airport
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt today said that the threat from drones was “high” and that the country would take measures to defend itself.
“There is a threat that can be classified as high when it comes to drones. It is an abstract threat, but very concrete in individual cases,” Dobrindt told journalists in Berlin.
Among the measures, Germany will look to revise an aviation security law to allow the nation’s armed forces to get involved to possibly shoot down drones, he said.
“It’s about being prepared so that critical infrastructure or large gatherings of people, for example, can be protected,” the minister added.
Officials in Europe have been on high alert after drone incursions in Denmark shut down air traffic in various parts of the country several times over the past week.
Drone incursions in Denmark shut down air traffic in various parts of the country several times over the past week
It comes just days after Copenhagen Airport – the busiest hub in the Nordic region – was plunged into chaos amid claims Moscow is behind a string of sabotage across Europe.
Most recently, they were spotted flying over the Karup Air Base on Friday night, according to reports.
It is Denmark’s largest military base – and it also serves as the headquarters of Nato’s Multinational Division North unit.
The air base shares a runway with Midtjyllands Lufthavn airport for civilians.
Cops were involved in “an operation” due to a rogue drone flying both inside and outside the air station area, Danish police told Jyllands-Posten.
The sightings forced authorities to shut the airspace for civilian flights.
An unspecified number of drones were also seen hovering over other military locations, according to Danish Defence.
A spokesperson for Denmark’s Armed Forces said: “The Danish Defence can confirm that drones were observed at several of the Danish Defence’s locations last night.
“Several capabilities were deployed.”
They did not confirm where the drones were observed.
On Saturday, Norwegian police also said they were probing several drone sightings near the country’s Oerland air force base – the main base for Norway’s F-35s jet fighters.
A spokesperson at the Norwegian Armed Forces’ joint headquarters said: “The guards at the base made several observations outside the base’s perimeter early on Saturday.”
It comes after a string of mysterious drone sightings across European nations.
They were also spotted over a military base in Marne, north-eastern France.
Security measures have been put in place after the “exceptional” event above the Mourmelon-le-Grand base, authorities said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said they were part of “hybrid attacks” that may be linked to Russia.
She said: “Over recent days, Denmark has been the victim of hybrid attacks.”
Drones were spotted on Wednesday and early Thursday at airports in Aalborg, Esbjerg, Sonderborg and at the Skrydstrup air base before leaving on their own, police said.
Aalborg airport, located in northern Denmark, was initially shut down for several hours and closed again for about an hour from late Thursday into early Friday morning due to another suspected sighting.
“It was not possible to take down the drones, which flew over a very large area over a couple of hours,” North Jutland chief police inspector Jesper Bojgaard Madsen said about the initial Aalborg incident.
A sighting of a suspected drone briefly shuttered a Danish airport on Friday for the second time in a few hours.
It came after a sighting earlier this week, which prompted Copenhagen airport – the busiest hub in the Nordic region – to shut down.
That followed a similar incident in Norway, drone incursions in Polish and Romanian territory and the violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets.
A number of drones were also spotted flying over a French military airbase in Marne, north eastern France.
Security measures were put in place after the “exceptional” event above the Mourmelon-le-Grand base, authorities said.
The small devices were not “piloted by military personnel” and there was no evidence to suggest this could be foreign interference, they added.
Investigators said they had so far failed to identify those responsible for the incursions across Europe, but the Danish PM stressed: “There is one main country that poses a threat to Europe’s security, and it is Russia.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed Moscow was behind it, referencing “Russia’s violation” of Nato airspace in Copenhagen in a social media post.
But he did not provide any evidence.
Frederiksen said Thursday that she had spoken with Nato chief Mark Rutte about the incidents.
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