German police evacuated homes and closed a train station in the southern town of Treuchtlingen on Thursday morning after a suspicious object, suspected to contain explosives, was discovered on the tracks.
Specialized police units were dispatched to the scene, and an explosives disposal robot was deployed to inspect the item. The police authority for the region of Middle Franconia in Bavaria stated that the object posed an explosive hazard and urged the public to avoid the area. The train station, a key hub for regional and long-distance traffic, remained closed during the investigation.
This incident follows closely after the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig Halle Airport last week, which is believed to be linked to Russia. German authorities have not publicly attributed that attack to Russia, and Moscow has denied involvement, calling it a "fabricated provocation."
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the Leipzig airport incident as a "new quality of danger" and part of a "professional hybrid threat scenario." American intelligence agencies have reportedly assessed that Russian secret services were likely behind the airport drone attack, though German investigations are ongoing. The drone was found near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at the airport, which is crucial for transporting military goods for Ukraine and NATO allies.
Investigators reportedly found DNA on the Leipzig drone matching a sample from a suspected Russian sabotage attack at the same airport in August 2024. In that earlier incident, an incendiary device hidden in a parcel caught fire but did not detonate on a plane. A second object was also reported to have collided with a freight plane that aborted a landing at Leipzig Halle due to the runway closure, causing slight damage to the aircraft. This led to the temporary closure of one runway, while the other remained operational. No danger to passengers or employees was reported in the airport incident.
Germany and other European nations have observed an increase in drones flying over sensitive sites. Authorities suspect Russia may be orchestrating some of these incidents as part of a campaign of sabotage, espionage, and disinformation, particularly given Germany's significant support for Ukraine. Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, voiced suspicion that Moscow was behind the Leipzig airport drone incident, stating, "Who else could it be but Russia?" He also pointed to the 2024 incident, remarking, "Indeed, Russia has long been waging this hybrid war."