WSJ: US-bound planes possibly targeted in Russian DHL-linked incendiary scheme

European investigators revealed a plot, involving incendiary devices hidden in massagers at DHL hubs, multiple individuals are under arrest.

Nov 5, 2024 - 13:00

WSJ: US-bound planes possibly targeted in Russian DHL-linked incendiary scheme

wsj us-bound planes possibly targeted russian dhl-linked incendiary scheme european law-enforcement official shows suspect dhl shop vilnius lithuania

Western security officials have uncovered a suspected Russian plot to deploy incendiary devices on US-bound aircraft, following the investigation of two devices that ignited at European DHL facilities, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Russia has long acted as though it’s at war with the West, conducting assassinations, arson, and sabotage even as the West continues to operate under peacetime norms. Russian intelligence has been implicated in multiple high-profile attacks, including assassinating Chechen dissidents abroad, a 2018 nerve agent attack in the UK that killed British national Dawn Sturgess, and an assassination plot against Germany’s Rheinmetall CEO this year. Russian-backed arson and sabotage have also targeted sites in Poland, Slovakia, the Baltic states, Bulgaria, and the UK.

According to security officials and people familiar with the probe, the devices, which ignited at DHL logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England in July, were electric massagers containing magnesium-based flammable substances.

The investigation revealed these incidents were likely part of a broader Russian operation targeting flights to North America, WSJ says. Lithuanian authorities have arrested a suspect who sent four incendiary devices, including two from a DHL shop in Vilnius. The suspect, who initially identified himself as Igor Prudnikov, was later identified as Alexander Suranovas, according to a European law-enforcement official.

Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office reports the arrest of four individuals, charged with participating in sabotage or terrorist operations on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency.

“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,” the prosecutor’s office stated.

Polish foreign intelligence chief Pawel Szota attributed the plot to Russian spies, warning it would mark a significant escalation in Moscow’s campaign against the West. Szota questioned if Russian leaders understand the consequences of a package explosion causing mass casualties, WSJ reports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to WSJ’s request for comment, claimed: “We have never heard any official accusations” of Russian involvement, adding: “These are traditional unsubstantiated insinuations from the media.”

According to WSJ citing people familiar with the matter, the devices narrowly missed being loaded onto DHL aircraft, while German police testing of replica devices indicated that ignited magnesium would be difficult to extinguish with standard aircraft firefighting systems.

The investigation continues with UK counterterrorism police working alongside other European law enforcement authorities, while Polish authorities are seeking at least two more suspects.

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