French media: Munich Airport closed again due to drones, the mastermind is emerging
Munich Airport was closed again on Friday due to drone alerts, marking the second night in a row that the airport has been closed. Berlin condemned the "threat" posed by drones to national security.
Drones incidents have become frequent in Europe, and EU member states suspect Russia as the mastermind behind these flights over sensitive locations.
After the first drone incident on Thursday, Munich Airport stated on its website that the German Air Traffic Control (DFS) announced again on Friday evening: "due to unconfirmed reports of drone sightings, the operation at Munich Airport will be reduced and suspended preventively until further notice."
The Munich Airport in Bavaria is the second largest airport in Germany and the largest airport in the EU forced to suspend operations, following similar events in Copenhagen and Oslo.
During the night from Thursday to Friday, the first closure caused more than 30 flights to be canceled, with nearly 3,000 passengers stranded at the airport and accommodated on site.
By dawn on Friday, traffic resumed, but it was interrupted again in the evening (gradually resuming from Saturday).
Germany is celebrating its National Day, commemorating the reunification of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), established during the Soviet era, with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1990.
AFP reported that unlike the incident on Friday night, the presence of drones has not yet been confirmed. However, on Thursday night, multiple drones were officially discovered flying over military airports near Erding and the capital of Bavaria, Munich.
Police deployed helicopters for search operations, but could not accurately count the number, identify the model, or intercept these flying devices.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt condemned this as "a threat" in the Bild newspaper. He emphasized: "From now on, drones must be shot down, not left unchecked."
To this end, the government led by Chancellor Merkel will start revising aviation safety laws next Wednesday. Currently, only the police (not the military) have the authority to shoot down drones in Germany.
Multiple incidents point to Moscow
In recent weeks, airports in other European countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Poland have also suspended flights due to the appearance of unidentified drones.
Several countries, including Romania, which was also invaded by drones, and Estonia, which borders Russia, have pointed the finger at Moscow, but Moscow has denied these accusations.
In early September, Poland accused 19 drones of entering its airspace and attributed the responsibility to Russia.
In Denmark, Copenhagen Airport was forced to close on September 22, and on September 25, other airports in the country and a military base were also flown over by drones.
The source of these drones remains unclear, but Danish authorities have also pointed to Moscow.
AFP said that these recent incidents highlight the shortcomings of NATO in dealing with this new threat.
On Thursday, the 27 EU member states held a meeting in the Danish capital to discuss the establishment of an anti-drone "barrier."
Sources: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845089673666568/
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