Thousands of rounds of German army ammunition stolen from lorry

The German Defense Ministry said that a shipment of German ammunition was stolen from a delivery truck in the eastern town of Burg.

The officials, speaking to the German News Agency (dpa), did not specify the amount of money stolen. However, other reports quoted a defense spokesman as saying the number was closer to 20,000 rounds.

The theft is believed to have occurred after a driver for a civilian transport company – contracted by the military – left his truck in an unattended parking lot overnight on November 25.

The next day, when the shipment arrived at nearby Clausewitz Barracks, the ammunition was found missing. The army opened an investigation in cooperation with the police.

Der Spiegel magazine, among other German media, reported that the shipment contained 10,000 rounds of live ammunition for pistols, 9,900 blank rounds of bullets for assault rifles, and smoke grenades.

Authorities have not confirmed whether anyone has been arrested or identified in connection with the incident, which has raised security concerns about who could obtain the missing supplies.

The Defense Ministry told German media: “We take theft very seriously, and this type of ammunition must not fall into the wrong hands.”

The focal point of the Bundeswehr (Bundeswehr) investigation will be why the driver failed to locate a safe location to stop, according to German public broadcaster MDR.

There is reportedly a special hotline available for drivers who need similar assistance, and she said the armed forces can provide an escort if necessary.

The radio said that the driver left the car in an unguarded parking lot and spent the night in a nearby hotel.

This is the latest in a series of similar incidents in the Saxony-Anhalt region.

In August, local police in Bernburg reported the loss of 90 rounds of ammunition. Weeks ago, officers in Eisleben reported that they had lost 180 rounds of ammunition.

No immediate contact was made between the cases.