Black van vanished after 3.5-kilometre pursuit

Military personnel and police failed to find a black van after pursuing it for 3.5 kilometres near Borris in western Jutland, DR reports. The vehicle had sped past the main guard post, according to the Danish Armed Forces.

The incident took place last autumn, after shots were fired at the Borris military area at what personnel believed were drones. Soldiers then spotted a civilian vehicle travelling at high speed and driving recklessly, and began pursuing it. Police were called and joined the search with four patrols.

A new report says authorities searched for the vehicle for a couple of hours without success. Army chief Major General Peter Boysen said at a press conference that the pursuit lasted 3.5 kilometres before it was called off. The vehicle’s possible role in the incident remains unknown.

Peter Viggo Jakobsen, a lecturer at the Royal Danish Defence College, said it was notable that the van was mentioned in the report. In other drone incidents around Europe, vehicles, trucks or ships have been observed nearby, he said, describing this as a recurring modus operandi. He stressed that he did not know whether the same had happened in Borris.

Jakobsen said operators may want to be close to their target so they can launch a drone quickly and reduce the time it spends in the air, when it could be detected. He said the authorities’ failure to find the van did not surprise him, noting that the Armed Forces have no jurisdiction outside military areas and must call police to pursue a vehicle beyond them. In a dark rural setting, he said, a vehicle with a 20-minute head start could easily hide in a barn.

DR News sent questions about the van to the Central and West Jutland Police, including when they were contacted and whether other Danish police districts or foreign police were involved in the search. The police did not respond, and neither the police nor the Armed Forces would comment further.

The Borris incident happened in 2025, nearly a week after reports that unknown objects had flown over Copenhagen Airport and, later, military areas in Denmark.