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According to officials, the transport company broke protocol.
A shipment of German military ammunition vanished from a civilian truck after an overnight stop in Saxony-Anhalt, prompting concerns inside the Defence Ministry and a joint inquiry with local police, Meetingpoint Jerichower Land reports.
Defence officials say the transport company appears to have breached contractual safety obligations.
Standard protocol requires two drivers so that one can watch the vehicle during breaks, yet only a single driver was deployed for this trip.
According to early findings cited by Der Spiegel, the driver decided independently to stay overnight at a hotel, leaving the loaded truck unattended.
The stop had not been part of the planned route.
Targeted theft feared
Army sources told the magazine that a random burglary seems improbable.
Instead, investigators are examining whether the shipment was monitored in advance and whether thieves exploited the unscheduled stop to strike.
Authorities are now reviewing the contractor’s compliance procedures while police search for suspects and the missing ammunition.
Security lapse exposed
The incident came to light when a driver contracted to move Bundeswehr ammunition arrived at a barracks near Burg on Tuesday morning and staff immediately noticed irregularities in the truck’s cargo area, according to Meetingpoint Jerichower Land.
Investigators say the vehicle had been left overnight in an unsecured industrial parking lot close to Magdeburg.
Meetingpoint Jerichower Land reports that unknown individuals broke into the trailer and removed several crates while the driver was away.
Roughly 20,000 rounds missing
A preliminary inventory shows roughly 10,000 pistol cartridges, nearly 10,000 training rounds for assault rifles and several smoke munitions are missing.
While the rifle training rounds do not contain live projectiles, the Defence Ministry told Der Spiegel that the theft still poses a significant risk.
A spokesperson said, “We take the theft very seriously, as such ammunition must not fall into the wrong hands.”
Sources: Der Spiegel, Meetingpoint Jerichower Land
