An international police investigation has identified 22 suspects allegedly involved in a plot to send bomb letters, after multiple mail parcels caught fire in 2024 in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland. The situation could have been much more serious if the packages had exploded in the cargo hold of an airplane during transport.
The first package caught fire in a baggage depot in Birmingham. Another package caught fire at Leipzig airport just before it was to be loaded onto a plane.
Promotion
Test Shipments
In Poland, a fire broke out in a truck carrying one of the packages. A second package in Poland was seized in time, allowing investigators to defuse the explosive device.
Investigators also discovered two so-called test packages that had been sent to the United States and Canada. Two packages destined for the same locations were also found in Amsterdam.
Lithuania
Due to the international scope of the incidents, a joint investigation team was established under the coordination of the European agency Eurojust. Detectives from Lithuania, Poland, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands collaborated to collect evidence and establish links between the various incidents. Europol provided operational support.
The investigation led to the identification of 22 suspects in Lithuania and Poland. According to authorities, individuals were recruited for the operation in various countries, including Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. Two criminal cases have now been referred to courts in Lithuania and Poland. Trials against the suspects are expected later this year.
Sabotage
In the United Kingdom, the investigation led to the arrest of a 38-year-old Romanian man, who was detained last March at Stansted Airport on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. He was later released while the investigation continued.
European police services have previously announced arrests of suspects for multiple arson attacks in EU countries. These were reportedly carried out on instructions from Russian officials. There are also reports of suspicions of foreign involvement in sabotage of railway cable lines in France, Germany, and the Netherlands.