Western intelligence officials are accusing Russia of orchestrating a covert operation to ignite incendiary devices on cargo and passenger planes headed for the United States. The scheme first came to light in July after small explosions happened at DHL logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany and Birmingham, England. At least five people have been arrested on charges related to the plot.
The incendiary devices are electric massagers implanted with a magnesium-based flammable substance, according to the Wall Street Journal. The weapon used in the Birmingham incident was shipped there via DHL from Lithuania. Police in Lithuania arrested one suspect who they claim shipped four devices and is a proxy by Russian intelligence. Western agencies stated the incident was a test run for putting incendiary devices on planes flying transatlantic routes.
If the device ignited on a flight over the Atlantic Ocean, the plane would likely crash. German officials tested replicas of the devices found in Leipzig and concluded that the fire extinguishers aboard a plane wouldn’t be able to put out the blaze. Luckily, those devices were never loaded onto the plane because the flight was delayed.
Officials within the Kremlin claim that they haven’t received official accusations from their counterparts in the West and claim the media is peddling unsubstantiated rumors. However, it’s not fake news to say that Russia’s relations with the West are at their worst point since the 1980s. Russia got caught jamming GPS signals for thousands of flights across Europe and President Vladimir Putin is also collaborating with high-profile individuals in the West to subvert democracy and sow unrest.
