Russia Allegedly Planned to Send Incendiary Devices on Planes to the US and Canada

Russia was reportedly preparing to carry out attacks on cargo or passenger planes bound for the US and Canada, according to The Wall Street Journal on November 4.

Western intelligence agencies believe that two incendiary devices sent via DHL were part of a covert Russian operation aimed at causing fires aboard civilian aircraft. The publication noted that these devices exploded in July at DHL logistics centers in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England.

“The explosions set off a multinational race to find the culprits. Now investigators and spy agencies in Europe have figured out how the devices—electric massagers implanted with a magnesium-based flammable substance—were made and concluded that they were part of a wider Russian plot,” WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the investigation.

Security officials indicated that the electric massagers sent to the UK from Lithuania appeared to be a test to determine how such incendiary devices could be smuggled onto planes bound for North America.

The investigation extended beyond Germany and England, where the explosions occurred. The Polish National Prosecutor’s Office reported the arrest of four individuals linked to the fires, accusing them of participating in sabotage or terrorist activities on behalf of foreign intelligence. Poland is collaborating with other countries to locate at least two more suspects.

“The group’s goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada,” stated the prosecutor's office.

The report noted that Poland did not disclose the names or nationalities of the four individuals arrested in connection with the incendiary devices. However, Poland's interior minister stated that the actions align with Russia's pattern.

The UK is investigating the Birmingham explosion in cooperation with European law enforcement. No arrests have been made in the UK, according to a spokesperson for the country’s counter-terrorism police. Meanwhile, Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany’s domestic security agency, informed lawmakers that no one was harmed, thanks to a delayed flight, which he described as a “lucky coincidence.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, responding to an inquiry from The Wall Street Journal, stated that the Kremlin “never heard any official accusations” of Russian involvement, adding “These are traditional unsubstantiated insinuations from the media.”