Drones shut a Denmark airport for second time in every week

[ad_1] An airport in northern Denmark was compelled to shut due to unauthorized drones in its airspace, police mentioned early Thursday, the second drone-caused shutdown of a Danish airport this week as Europe grapples with an increase in cyberattacks and suspected Russian airspace violations.

“Multiple drone” was seen flying close to Aalborg airport, which can be an energetic army base, at about 9.45 p.m. native time Wednesday, and remained close by till simply earlier than 1 a.m. Thursday, police mentioned, in line with Reuters. The drones are not within the space, police confirmed.

Police haven't but decided who's behind the most recent incident however are investigating a number of theories, Denmark’s Nationwide Police Commissioner Thorkild Fogde advised CNN.

The drone sighting comes two days after sightings of two or three massive drones halted all takeoffs and landings for practically 4 hours on the airport within the capital Copenhagen, in what the prime minister known as a “severe assault on Danish vital infrastructure” in line with Reuters.

It additionally follows a major cyberattack at a supplier of check-in and boarding techniques over the weekend, which disrupted operations at a number of of Europe’s busiest airports, together with London’s Heathrow.

It’s unclear if the drones close to Aalborg and Copenhagen are linked, however the sample was comparable, Fogde mentioned. Each are instances of “unauthorized drones over-flying the airport space, breaking airport safety, violating the airspace.”

In a separate incident this week, Norwegian authorities have been forced to close Oslo Airport for round three hours after a drone sighting, inflicting extra journey chaos.

In feedback to Danish public broadcaster DR on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen instructed Russia could possibly be behind the disruption in Copenhagen, which she linked to different drone incidents in Poland and Romania, Reuters reported.

“I definitely can not deny in any approach that it's Russia,” Frederiksen advised the broadcaster.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov known as options of Russian involvement “unfounded.”

Europe has been on excessive alert after a collection of Russian breaches of NATO airspace. Final week, NATO intercepted three Russian jets that entered Estonian airspace , forcing them to flee, Tallinn’s overseas ministry and an alliance spokesperson mentioned.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland with out permission and remained there for a complete of 12 minutes, the Estonian overseas ministry mentioned.

Italian F-35 fighters that have been stationed in Estonia as a part of NATO’s Japanese Sentry operation, along with Swedish and Finnish plane, responded to the intrusion, NATO Allied Command Operations headquarters mentioned. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal mentioned the Russian jets have been subsequently “compelled to flee.”

Russia later denied its jets had entered Estonian airspace, insisting the flight was carried out “in strict accordance with worldwide guidelines” and “with out violating the borders of different nations.”

In separate incidents earlier this month, NATO fighter jets shot down what the alliance mentioned have been Russian drones which had violated Polish and Romanian airspace throughout an assault on neighboring Ukraine.

The operation marked the primary time that photographs have been fired by NATO since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022. The army alliance denounced Moscow’s “completely harmful” conduct, and pledged to beef up defenses on its jap flank.

Days later, Romania mentioned a Russian drone breached its air area, prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets.

The 2 F-16 jets got here near downing the drone however pilots determined to not open fireplace after assessing the collateral dangers.

After the Copenhagen incident Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Fee, mentioned on social media that “whereas the details are nonetheless being established, it's clear we're witnessing a sample of persistent contestation at our borders.”