German police say two men turned themselves in after smashing car into airport fence

Published on 19/10/2026 - 14:18 GMT+2

German police said on Monday that two men turned themselves in after a security fence was damaged at the airport in the city of Leipzig, an incident that raised concerns following an attack at the same airport over the summer that German authorities attributed to Russia.

The two individuals, aged 20 and 32, turned themselves in on Sunday night, according to a statement issued by the Leipzig police.

The younger man said through a lawyer that he lost control of the car while driving in the airport area the previous night and crashed through the fence.

He then left the scene of the accident and sent for the car to be towed away. He did not have a driver's licence.

The 32-year old admitted he was the owner of the car and gave no further details, the police said. The car has been seized and the investigation was continuing, the statement also said.

German authorities had been investigating how a gaping hole was cut into a fence around Leipzig Airport.

The damage was discovered at around 2300 CET on Saturday. Police said initial evidence suggested that a vehicle had ploughed through the fence along a publicly accessible road.

Emergency teams that searched the airport grounds didn’t find the vehicle or any intruder.

In August, an attack with an explosives-laden drone took place at the airport. German authorities blamed that on Russia, an allegation denied by Moscow.