German police to get power to shoot down drones: Minister

German federal police will soon be allowed to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Wednesday, after a spate of drone sightings believed to be Russian efforts to spy and intimidate.

Unveiling a draft law, Dobrindt said police would be authorized to take state-of-the-art technical action against drone threats, for example, with electromagnetic pulses, jamming, GPS interference, but also with physical means.

"This means that the interception and shooting down of drones will be regulated and possible for the Federal Police in the future."

Germany was learning about modern UAV defences from its allies Israel and Ukraine, he said, adding that it would also set up a joint drone defence centre for state and federal police to develop situation reports "and take joint countermeasures."

Germany -- a major NATO backer of Ukraine in its fight against Russia -- has reported multiple drone sightings this year over military bases, industrial sites, and other critical infrastructure.

Last weekend, drones spotted over the southern city of Munich twice shut down the city's airport, grounding thousands of passengers after their flights were cancelled or rerouted, echoing similar incidents in Denmark and Norway.

"Our suspicion is that Russia is behind most of these drone flights," Chancellor Friedrich Merz told public broadcaster ARD in an interview on Sunday.

The next day, speaking on news channel NTV, Merz pointed to recent comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that "it's quite obvious that he even admits that it comes from Russia."

"He wants to intimidate us; he wants to frighten us. We won't allow ourselves to be intimidated, and we will defend ourselves effectively against this threat."

AFP