Western Officials Suspect Russia Was Behind Plot To Put Incendiary Packages On Cargo Planes

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it has put extra security measures in place in recent months for certain cargo shipments heading to the United States.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England.

Poland said last month that it has arrested four people suspected to be linked to a foreign intelligence operation that carried out sabotage and is searching for two others. Lithuania’s prosecutor general Nida Grunskiene said Tuesday there were an unspecified number of people detained in several countries, offering no elaboration.

The events come as Western officials say they are seeing an intensification of a hybrid war of sabotage by Russia targeting Ukraine’s allies, including election disinformation and arson attacks in Europe this year. Several officials said they believe the attacks were the work of Russian military intelligence, the GRU, although Moscow denied involvement.

Poland’s Internal Security Agency, or ABW, says that incidents in Poland, as well as other EU and NATO members, had intensified this year. ABW believes they are initiated and coordinated by the Russian special services. So far, 20 people have been charged in investigations led by the prosecutor’s office, the ABW and police.

Polish Prosecutor Katarzyna Calów-Jaszewska said the investigation focuses on foreign agents conducting acts of sabotage, including damaging industrial facilities or critical infrastructure such as airports, airplanes and other vehicles, and as well as arson using self-combustible parcels sent to EU countries and the U.K. that would ignite during road or air transport.