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Lithuania Uncovers Russia-Linked Terror Network Behind Explosive Parcel Attacks Across Europe
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Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office and Criminal Police Bureau have uncovered a terrorist network that attempted to carry out a series of coordinated attacks in multiple European countries, LRT reported on September 17.
Investigators found that on July 19, 2024, Lithuanian citizen A. Š. and his accomplices sent four parcels packed with homemade incendiary explosive devices from Vilnius using DHL and DPD delivery services. Two packages were addressed to the United Kingdom and flown via DHL cargo planes, while the other two were shipped to Poland by DPD trucks.
According to LRT, the devices detonated in several locations: at Leipzig Airport in Germany, inside a DPD truck in Poland, and at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, UK. A fourth parcel failed to explode due to a malfunction. The bombs were hidden inside massage pillows and rigged with electronic timers. Thermite compounds and flammable mixtures disguised in hygiene and cosmetic tubes were used to maximize destruction.
Given the scale and cross-border nature of the attacks, Eurojust set up a joint investigation team involving law enforcement and intelligence services from Lithuania, Poland, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia, the United States, and Canada.
According to investigators, the plot was organized and coordinated by Russian nationals with ties to Moscow’s military intelligence. Several of the ringleaders were also connected to an attempted terrorist attack on an IKEA store in Vilnius on May 9, 2024. Among them are Ukrainian citizen Daniil Gromov, who also used the identity of Russian national Yaroslav Mikhailov, and Tomas Dovgan Stabačinskas, who holds both Lithuanian and Russian citizenship.
The network recruited citizens of Lithuania, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine for specific roles, maintaining secrecy and paying them in cryptocurrency through contacts on Telegram, LRT reported. More than 30 searches across Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia uncovered explosives hidden in cans, detonators, and devices made with RDX, some designed for shaped blasts. The seized materials exceeded six kilograms of TNT equivalent, suggesting further planned attacks.
So far, 15 suspects—citizens of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine—have been charged with organizing and preparing terrorist acts.
Earlier, Latvian security services arrested a man in Riga, accusing him of passing sensitive information on military infrastructure and NATO presence to Russia.
