Some 1.8 kilograms of the explosive Semtex was to be used across all three drones — about 600 grams per drone — according to the high-ranking German security official. The Antonov aircraft, which was the target of the attack, was fueled with approximately 25,000 liters of jet fuel.
Two of the senior security officials, both directly involved in the investigation, said that if the charge had detonated, it would have triggered a massive explosion and destroyed parts of the airport. Previously unseen surveillance camera footage obtained by Welt shows the drone lying right next to the Antonov aircraft. According to authorities, the explosive was concealed inside a food can. The explosion did not occur because a detonator broke off.
One day after the attempted attack, police officers found an antenna structure secured with tape in a tree near the airport. It is believed to have been used to control the drones, according to the confidential documents. On the structure, forensic technicians found remnants of a glove with traces of DNA previously recorded in Finland and Lithuania. The Belarusian suspect has a criminal record in those countries, according to one of the senior security officials (in Finland, for example, he was charged with theft, among other offenses).
The Polish authorities also believe the suspect was involved in a fire at a home improvement store in the city of Łódź in the summer of 2024, according to a senior security official. (The Łódź public prosecutor’s office has likewise classified the incident as sabotage.) German investigators view the fact that he was also involved in the Leipzig attack as further evidence of Russian involvement.
According to the high-ranking German security official, the explosives used in Leipzig were transported to Germany via Bulgaria and Serbia. Investigators believe they were transported in hidden compartments in trucks and subsequently cached underground. Police found several possible hiding places near Leipzig airport after analyzing data from a rental car used by the suspects.
The confidential police documents also refer to a concrete slab with two handles that was discovered near a pedestrian bridge south of the airport, in the city of Schkeuditz. Authorities believe it had provided access to a hidden storage site. Shortly thereafter, police found another suspected hideout north of the bridge; both storage sites were empty. Investigators also located a hideout in the city of Merseburg, part of the Halle-Leipzig area. According to the police documents, the Russian suspect may have temporarily stored the explosives there.
