Official announcements from US or Canadian aviation authorities

Russia's GRU Suspected in Plot to Send Incendiary Devices Disguised as Massagers on US-Bound Planes

Nov 4, 2024, 09:59 PM

Western security officials report that Russia is suspected of plotting to send incendiary devices on US-bound planes, marking an escalation in Moscow's sabotage campaign against the West. In July, two incendiary devices disguised as electronic massage machines packed with magnesium ignited at DHL hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England. Investigators believe the devices, shipped from Lithuania, were part of a covert Russian operation aimed at starting fires aboard cargo or passenger aircraft flying to the United States and Canada. The Russian military intelligence agency GRU is believed to be behind the plot. The Polish National Prosecutor's Office stated that four individuals have been arrested in connection with the scheme. European and US intelligence agencies are investigating whether this was a trial run for future attacks targeting North America-bound aircraft.