Oleg Davygora23:29, 16.10.24

DHL said it was taking measures “to protect its network, personnel and assets, as well as customer cargo.”

Russian spies are suspected of planting an incendiary device on a plane in the UK that later caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham.

Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether there was a specific target or whether the incident was an act of sabotage aimed at disrupting logistics and creating instability, The Times reports  .

Police said the force was working with law enforcement partners across Europe to establish whether there was a link to similar recent incidents on the continent.

“If the incident was an attempt to disrupt the UK logistics network, it would fit with a Russian pattern of trying to cause chaos and disruption. The parcel caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham, on July 22 in the incident,” the article said.

A police spokesman said the incident had been dealt with by officers and the local fire brigade and that there were no reports of injuries or significant damage. He added:

“Due to the circumstances and the specialist capabilities and experience of investigating such cases, the investigation is being led by officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, supported by colleagues from West Midlands Counter Terrorism Policing. The investigation is ongoing and to date no arrests have been made as a result of our investigations. As part of our investigations, officers are working with other European law enforcement partners to determine whether this may be linked to other similar incidents across Europe.”

It is noted that the parcel arrived in Birmingham by air, which highlights the recklessness of the incident.

DHL said it was taking measures “to protect its network, personnel and assets, as well as customer cargo” in response to “ongoing investigations by authorities in several countries.”

Russian sabotage in Europe

German intelligence said on Wednesday that a package destined for the cargo hold of a DHL plane caught fire before it was loaded onto a flight earlier this year. Thomas Haldenwang, the head of German intelligence, said the plane would have crashed if the package had been on board. It caught fire on the ground at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig.

Haldenwang said the Kremlin’s aggression was “endangering lives” and affecting “every aspect of our free society.” Martina Rosenberg, the head of Germany’s military counterintelligence, said Moscow was trying to use sabotage to “create a sense of instability.”

In May, after a shopping mall in Warsaw was destroyed by fire, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was “highly likely” that the fire was caused by Russian intelligence officers .

(c)UNIAN 2024