USA in the crosshairs? What the alleged Russian plan for flammable objects on planes looks like

In the United Kingdom, a similar situation occurred on July 22. A package caught fire in a DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham — prompting an investigation by counter-terrorism police.

The devices were supposedly disguised. According to the Wall Street Journal, devices such as electric massagers charged with a flammable magnesium-based substance were shipped from Lithuania to the United Kingdom and appear to have been part of a test to assess the feasibility of placing them on planes bound for the United Kingdom. North America.

Lithuania, the country where one of the objects came from, announced, this Tuesday (5), the arrest of suspects of having sent incendiary devices. “We need to neutralize and dismantle the source, and we know who is behind these operations. It is the Russian military intelligence services,” said Kestutis Budrys, national security adviser to the president of Lithuania.

There is a suspicion that Russia’s plans involve threatening the United States. The intelligence services are investigating whether they intend to destroy planes and detonate bombs in logistics centers on North American soil, or even blow up planes in mid-air. Officials told The New York Times that the United States and its European allies were Russia’s targets.

According to sources heard by the New York Times, the Russian operation would be motivated by Western support for the Ukrainian military. Western officials say they are witnessing an intensifying war of sabotage by Russia, targeting Ukraine’s allies.

Poland has already arrested 4

Last month, the Polish Public Prosecutor’s Office said four people had been arrested in connection with similar explosions. An international arrest warrant was also issued for two other suspects. Polish authorities did not reveal the name of the group, but highlighted that the packages were sent by post to the United Kingdom and European Union countries, having caught fire or detonated spontaneously during land and air transport. The statement added that the goal was to test shipping routes for this type of shipment, with the intention of ultimately sending them to the United States and Canada.