Germany news: Officials deny reports of drone near munitions-laden plane
Deutsche Welle · LC · trust 60/100
Officials in Germany have rejected reports that an explosive-laden drone found at Leipzig airport was next to a plane filled with weapons destined for Ukraine. Federal prosecutors have taken over the case. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IMrM Federal police specialists defused a drone equipped with an explosive device Image: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Thursday, August 6, 2026:
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08/06/2026 August 6, 2026 Two suspected IS members detained in NRW Two Iraqi nationals have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism by German authorities. The arrests took place after evidence emerged that they had fought with the so-called Islamic State in Iraq a decade ago.
The arrests were made in the towns of Höxter and Bottrop in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Cell phones and laptops were seized from the detainees' apartments.
The men, aged 29 and 46, have been accused of being members of a terrorist organization abroad, a spokeswoman for the Düsseldorf State Prosecutor's Office said. She added that the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) received a tip and was then able to track down the suspects.
Authorities have not yet decided whether the men would be held in pretrial detention.
There are no indications that either of them was involved in any planned attacks in Germany, the spokeswoman added.
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08/06/2026 August 6, 2026 RWE settles with Trump administration to cancel offshore wind projects in US One of RWE's offshore wind farms is the Kaskasi site north of Helgoland in Germany, which opened in 2023 Image: Christian Charisius/Pool/REUTERS German energy giant RWE announced it is abandoning its offshore wind power projects in the US, citing regulatory hurdles , and turning towards investments elsewhere.
The company said in a statement that it had reached a $1.22 billion (roughly €1.05 billion) settlement with the US government to relinquish its offshore wind leases in the New York Bight and off the coasts of Louisiana and California.
"After careful consideration, it was determined that there is no path forward to permit these projects in the US for the foreseeable future," RWE said.
The company said it now planned to reinvest the money in natural gas projects in the US "to meet rapidly growing energy demand" instead of focusing on wind turbines and renewable energy .
US President Donald Trump, who has become a vocal supporter of the fossil fuel industry, seems to reserve a particular distaste for what he typically calls "windmills."
Last week he returned to the issue in comments related to the UK, saying "any time you see windmills, you see a failing country," and claiming — falsely on both counts: "They're all made in China. They're not used by China, but they're made in China."
RWE said it was still investing in its US operations and aiming to almost double its power generation capacity by 2031. It also noted its continued heavy presence in offshore wind projects beyond Germany's borders.
08/06/2026 August 6, 2026 UPDATE — Cologne WWII Rhine riverbed bomb successfully defused By early evening, Cologne residents were allowed back to their homes Image: Christoph Hardt/Panama Pictures/IMAGO By early evening on Thursday, several hours after work started to clear the exclusion zone, Cologne authorities said the World War II bomb uncovered amid low Rhine River levels no longer posed a threat.
"Experts from the regional government in Düsseldorf's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service have just successfully disarmed the bomb," Cologne's city administration said.
"The barriers are now being gradually lifted; residents can return to their apartments, as can the residents who were evacuated at the old people's home on the Konrad Adenauer bank."
The exclusion zone also included the headquarters of national private broadcaster RTL. RTL's evening news bulletin, which aired just over an hour ago, was recorded from their studio in the capital, Berlin, instead. Its rolling news channel, ntv, had been producing afternoon programming from a mobile studio.
08/06/2026 August 6, 2026 Federal prosecutors take over Leipzig airport drone investigation Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had already indicated the possibility of 'foreign powers' being involved in some way Image: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa/picture alliance Federal prosecutors in Germany have confirmed that they will take over investigations of the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, given the grounds to suspect a dangerous attempt to attack air transport and cause an explosion.
"To this end, professional explosives and a detonator were attached to the drone," the federal prosecutor's office said. Beyond that, it noted there was evidence suggesting a mid-air collision between a plane and possibly another drone.
"This is a serious attack on transport and logistical infrastructure in Germany," the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said as it announced it was taking the lead. "As such, the act is capable of undermining the external and internal security of the Federal Republic of Germany."
Prosecutors said the federal investigative police force, the BKA, would take over the policing side of the case.
Prior to this announcement, the Dresden public prosecutor's office and the Saxony state chapter of the investigative police force had been conducting the investigation.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had already said on Wednesday evening that the attempted attack seemed to be the work of highly trained professionals and that he did not rule out the possibility of "foreign powers" being involved in some way.
Germany investigates…
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