Russia planted device in parcel that exploded in UK warehouse – The Guardian

Russia planted a device in a parcel that exploded in a warehouse in Britain, says The Guardian Anastasia Kolesnikova

Russians carried out sabotage in British Birmingham/Collage 24 ChannelMore interesting audio newsListenListen to this news00:0001:10xAudio synthesized using AI.Listen to this news00:0001:10xAudio synthesized using AI.

It became known that back in the summer in the British Birmingham there was a fire at the warehouse of the logistics company DHL. Investigators are considering this incident as Russian sabotage.

In Britain, the investigation continues into the incident at the DHL warehouse in Birmingham, where a fire broke out on July 22. It is noted that no one was hurt, the fire was extinguished.

What is known

Now investigators have established that the parcel that exploded in the warehouse arrived there by plane. It is not yet known which one: cargo or passenger. Its destination also remains unclear. If the parcel had caused an explosion during the flight, this would have had serious consequences, in particular leading to the plane crash.

A similar incident occurred in Germany also at the end of July, when a suspicious package, which was also delivered by plane, caught fire at another DHL facility in Leipzig. Investigators are looking for connections between these two events.

The incident in Birmingham became known only after joint inquiries from the Guardian and German television companies WDR and NDR. This has raised questions as to why the authorities did not report it sooner.

British investigators suspect that the incendiary device planted on the aircraft is part of a wider campaign carried out by Russian spies across Europe this year.

Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, warned last week that “Russia's GRU military intelligence appears to be on a sustained mission to create chaos on British and European streets: we have seen arson, sabotage and so on.”

If Russia is linked to the Birmingham or Leipzig incidents, it will not immediately be clear what the plotters were aiming to achieve. Any plot to shoot down the plane would have drawn widespread international condemnation.

No arrests have been made in connection with the Birmingham fire and British police are continuing their investigation. “Officers are speaking with other European law enforcement partners to determine whether this could be linked to any other similar incidents in Europe,” a police spokesman said.

Incidentally, the US and Germany foiled a Russian operation to assassinate Rheinmetall's chief executive.