Danish officials warn drone flyovers at 4 airports aimed at stoking fear

The goal of the flyovers was to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones.

Drones flew over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday, the latest instance of unexplained drone activity that has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid growing Russian aggression.

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called the incidents a “hybrid attack” because the flights all occurred within roughly the same time frame. It was not immediately clear who was behind the incidents, but Lund Poulsen said that it appeared a “professional actor” was behind the “systematic” flights. He did not provide more details during a news conference Thursday morning.

Authorities said there was no danger to the public.

The goal of the flyovers was to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said Thursday, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.

Flights were halted for several hours at Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark, which also serves as a military base. Drone sightings began shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday and ended just before 1 a.m. Thursday.

Three airports in Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup also were impacted. Skrydstrup is an air base that is home to some of the Danish military’s fighter jets.

The drones appeared to be flying around the airports with their lights turned on but authorities decided against attempting to shoot down the drones, police said. Additional details were not immediately available.

The latest drone activity came just days after a similar incident at Copenhagen Airport, conducted by what police call a “capable actor.”