German cabinet plans to allow military to shoot down illegal drones, draft shows
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A German Eurofighter lands at Mihail Kogalniceanu air base near the Black Sea, in Constanta, Romania, February 17, 2022. Inquam Photos/George Calin via REUTER
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's cabinet is set to approve plans on Wednesday authorising the armed forces to shoot down illegal drones following repeated reports of illegal flights over critical infrastructure, a draft amendment seen by Reuters showed.
Germany has been on high alert for hybrid attacks from Russia since the full-scales invasion of Ukraine. In one of the latest cases, police said on Monday they were investigating suspected Russian espionage after drones were sighted over military installations in Bavaria.
Under the planned amendment to the Aviation Security Act, local authorities will be able to ask the military to take action if they deem it necessary. In this case, the armed forces will be allowed to use force against illegal drones in the event of an imminent, particularly serious accident, the draft said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government aims to push the amendment through the Bundestag lower house of parliament before a federal election on Feb. 23 but it is unclear whether it will muster a majority for the move.
(Reporting by Alexander Ratz; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Thomas Seythal and Kirsti Knolle)
