Danish officials believe drone flyovers at 4 airports meant to sow fear

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Drones flew over Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark overnight Wednesday into Thursday, as well as three smaller airports in the country, but it was not immediately clear who was behind the incidents, authorities said.

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said it appeared a “professional actor” was behind the “systematic” flights, without providing additional 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, which also serves as a military base. Drone sightings began shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday and ended just before 1 a.m. Thursday.

The 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 comes just a few days after a similar incident at Copenhagen Airport, conducted by what police call a “capable actor.”

The Copenhagen drones grounded flights in the Danish capital for hours Monday night, prompting concerns that Russia could be behind the flyover above Scandinavia’s largest airport.

It was not immediately clear whether the Copenhagen flyover was related to the incidents later in the week.