Thieves pilfer 20,000 rounds of German military ammunition while truck driver dozed off

Close to 20,000 rounds of German military ammunition were taken from a truck as its driver rested in a nearby hotel. The vehicle had been parked in an unsecured industrial lot near Burg in north-east Germany, loaded with 10,000 9mm rounds, smoke grenades, and 9,900 blank rifle cartridges.

Authorities believe the thieves accessed the cargo area of the transport company's truck late Monday night and removed multiple crates containing military ammunition. According to early reports from Germanys Defence Ministry, the driver left the shipment unattended while staying at the hotel.

The theft was discovered the next morning when the driver attempted to deliver the cargo to Clausewitz Barracks in Burg. Military personnel inspecting the delivery found signs of tampering and verified the transport manifests. The Bundeswehr is working alongside local police to investigate the incident.

Bundeswehr sources told Der Spiegel that the robbery likely was not random, suggesting the perpetrators had tracked the transport and acted when the driver made an unscheduled stop. The civilian transport company, responsible for securing the ammunition under their contract, normally assigns two drivers per route.

A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Defence emphasized the seriousness of the situation, noting that such ammunition must not fall into unauthorized hands. Recent months have seen similar thefts in Saxony-Anhalt, with ammunition disappearing in towns such as Bernburg and Eisleben.

Author: Ethan Caldwell