Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the drone flies over the airport in Copenhagen as the most serious attack on the Danish critical infrastructure. This Nordic country, according to the local secret service, faces a high risk of sabotage. According to DPA and AFP reports, TASR reports this.
- The incident was described as a possible sabotage of critical infrastructure.
- Drones interrupted the operation of airports in Copenhagen and Oslo.
- Prime Minister Frederiksen linked the case with the Russian hybrid attack.
- The investigation is led by the Danish authorities and the armed forces.
- Drones piloted an experienced operator, the theme remains unclear.
The airport in Copenhagen, as well as the airport in Oslo, Norway, which are considered two busiest in Scandinavia, stopped their operation on Monday late for several hours and flights from them were drained to the surrounding airports. The reason was the drone flies that they recorded in their airspace. Tens of thousands of passengers were stuck at the airports as a result of the shutdown. Operations on both renewed on Tuesday in the mall,
“Someone does not necessarily make sure he attacks us, but rather to stress and watch us, how we react,” said the director of Pet Flemming Operations Drejer at a joint press conference with Frederiksen.
The incidents occurred only shortly after the weekend cyber attack on the IT service provider, which was disrupted by the operation of several European airports, including Berlin, Brussels, Heathrow London and Dublin.
“This tells something about the time we live in, and what we have to prepare for as a company. Of course, we do not rule out any option who is behind it,” The Danish Prime Minister said. She did not rule out that Russia could be an involved act. She described the effort to disrupt order and to cause restlessness and concern as a possible motive. According to TV2, the Danish army is also involved in the investigation.
According to Frederiksen, the latest flights need to be perceived in a broader context, not isolated from recent incidents in Europe. She mentioned drone penetrations into the airspaces of Poland and Romania, Disruption of Estonian airspace with Russian fighters and hacker attacks on European airports.
The Danish police had previously stated that, given the number and size of the drones, as well as the timing of the incident, the machines apparently piloted the “experienced operator”. However, she added that fromAt the same time, it did not identify any suspects and has no information on where the unmanned aircraft subsequently disappeared. For the time being, there are no indications that the actor intended to hurt someone. According to AP, the lights of the drone were on and off and it seemed that their flight did not have one particular direction.
“Everything suggests that the pilot did not intend to attack someone, but wanted to show off and maybe try it,” The police inspector Jes Jespersen said about the pilot. Nevertheless, the authorities cannot exclude the possibility that drones are part of a Russian hybrid attack, he added. Investigators are currently finding out how they got to the airport in Copenhagen – whether on the ground or perhaps by boat.
According to the media, the chief advisor to the director of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) said that the situation is unclear after flying over the airport in Oslo. According to him, PST is trying to find out whether the incident is related to drones observed in Denmark. The Danish authorities are also doing the same.
