Official statements or reports from intelligence agencies

Russia Allegedly Plotted to Send Incendiary Devices Disguised as Massagers via DHL on US-Bound Planes

Nov 4, 2024, 04:42 PM

Western security officials suspect that Russia plotted to send incendiary devices on planes bound for the United States and Canada, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Two devices shipped via DHL ignited in Europe in July, specifically at logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England. The devices, disguised as electronic massage machines packed with magnesium, are believed to be part of a covert Russian operation aiming to start fires aboard cargo or passenger aircraft flying to North America. Officials allege that Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, is behind the operation, which is seen as a test run to figure out how to get such devices aboard planes. The devices were sent from Lithuania to the UK, and the incidents have led to the arrests of four individuals. Poland's National Prosecutor's Office has been involved in the investigation, and the operation is considered an escalation of Russia's sabotage campaign against Western countries.