(MENAFN) Reports indicate that approximately 20,000 rounds of ammunition belonging to Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr, were stolen from a civilian transport truck, the Defense Ministry confirmed.

According to initial accounts, the theft occurred after the driver of a logistics company contracted by the military left the fully loaded truck unattended overnight from Monday to Tuesday last week. The vehicle was parked in an unsecured lot in an industrial area near Burg, in northeastern Germany, where its cargo area was broken into and multiple boxes of ammunition were taken.

The stolen material reportedly included about 10,000 rounds of live pistol ammunition, 9,900 rounds of training ammunition for assault rifles, and various smoke rounds. A Defense Ministry spokesperson called the incident a serious security breach, emphasizing that such ammunition “must not fall into the wrong hands.”

Officials noted that the civilian transport company failed to follow required security procedures by leaving the truck unattended during an unplanned overnight stop. Military sources have suggested the shipment may have been under surveillance, and that the theft occurred deliberately during the driver’s unscheduled stop, rather than being a random robbery.

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