(MENAFN- Live Mint) European and US intelligence officials believe Russia is behind a plan that would ultimately place incendiary devices on planes to North America through air cargo shipments, according to people familiar with the matter.
Authorities are taking the incidents seriously and intelligence agencies are expecting Moscow to try and stage similar acts of sabotage in the future, one of the people said. They asked not to be named discussing the intelligence matter.
Poland's National Prosecutor's Office has said in a statement on its website that it's investigating the alleged involvement of a foreign intelligence service in sabotage activities on the territory of Poland and other European Union members states and the UK but didn't specifically name Russia as the perpetrator. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Monday on Moscow's alleged goal of ultimately targeting the US.
As part of the probe launched on Aug. 5, authorities have arrested four people linked to a sabotage group, whose activities included sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to the countries in the EU and the UK.
The parcels would ignite or detonate during land or air transport.“The group's goal was to test the transfer channel for this type of shipments, which were ultimately to be sent to the US and Canada,” according to the statement.
Governments across Europe have been raising alarm over a growing threat of Russia-sponsored acts of sabotage and destabilization since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two and a half years ago. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in such efforts.
Earlier this year, the US warned its allies that Russia is targeting cargo shipping companies as it seeks to disrupt Ukraine's partners, according to people familiar with the matter. At the time, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council declined to comment on that warning, and the Russian Foreign Ministry didn't reply to a request for comment.
Earlier: US Warns Allies Russia Seeking to Disrupt Cargo Shipping Firms
German security authorities have concluded that their country only narrowly escaped a plane crash caused by an incendiary package in an air foreign parcel that was probably planted by Russia. By chance, they said, the parcel caught fire on the ground during a delay at a DHL logistics center in July in Leipzig and not during a flight.
Last month, Poland ordered the closing of Russia's consulate in the western city of Poznan due to alleged sabotage attempts. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the move as hostile and pledged a forceful response, according to the state-run RIA Novosti agency.
Poland has become the main thoroughfare for western military aid heading to Kyiv since the start of the conflict.
A DHL spokesperson said the company is cooperating with authorities. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Berlin declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing investigation.
In its“2025 Homeland Threat Assessment,” the US Department of Homeland Security said it works“closely with industry to take steps to protect against any potential threats whenever they emerge. At this time, there is no current active threat targeting U.S. bound flights.”
With assistance from William Horobin, Alex Wickham and Jenny Leonard.
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