Four Arrested Over Alleged Russian Plot to Test Explosive Packages Ahead of Possible Attack on Transatlantic Flight
Polish authorities have arrested four individuals accused of preparing incendiary devices as part of a suspected Russian scheme to test the feasibility of attacking a transatlantic flight. According to Polish prosecutors, the suspects staged "dress rehearsals" for a larger plot, sending explosive packages designed to spontaneously ignite or detonate during land or air transport.
The incendiary devices, camouflaged as electric massage machines, reportedly contained a magnesium-based substance capable of burning intensely enough to threaten an aircraft in flight. Prosecutor Katarzyna Calów-Jaszewska said the suspects' goal was "to test the transfer channel for such parcels," with the ultimate aim of sending similar packages to the United States and Canada.
The suspects were detained in July, following incidents that raised alarms across Europe. On July 22, a suspicious package caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham, shortly after arriving by air. The blaze was contained by staff and fire crews, but British counter-terrorism police are investigating the possibility that Russian agents planted the device. Further details about the package's origin or the flight are still unclear.
A similar incendiary package burned through a shipping container at another DHL facility in Leipzig, Germany, heightening concerns that Europe may be facing new threats of Russian-sponsored sabotage. Paweł Szota, head of Poland’s foreign intelligence agency, suggested that the attacks might have Moscow’s backing, warning of the severe consequences if such devices caused mass casualties.
The UK’s Counter Terrorism Policing confirmed that the arrests made in Poland were not directly related to its own investigation into the Minworth incident. However, the incidents have led to warnings from German security agencies about a pattern of incendiary packages originating from private individuals in Europe and catching fire en route to multiple European destinations.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office stated that the arrested individuals face charges related to international sabotage. German investigators have also reported that the magnesium fires would be difficult to extinguish with standard equipment on passenger or cargo planes, posing a significant risk of forced landings.
European authorities remain on alert for potential Moscow-linked acts of sabotage, reportedly