German intelligence officials are pointing fingers at Russia after what has been described as an incendiary device was nearly planted on a DHL aircraft in July.
During a recent hearing, Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Germany, said the country avoided a serious aircraft accident by “only a lucky coincidence.” German newspaper Tagesspiegel reports the fire-starting parcel was set to be loaded on a DHL flight in Leipzig.
The flight was delayed, and the parcel caught fire on the ground. Haldenwang said that had it caught fire midair, a major accident could have followed.
In August, Reuters reported that the German government notified businesses that fire-starting packages may be circulating within shipping networks. The warning followed a series of reports that other parcels had ignited in transit.
Russia is suspected of being behind these parcels. Officials said the German government has seen a rise in “aggressive behavior” by Russian intelligence agencies.
Also in July, a similar incident occurred at a DHL facility in Birmingham, England. It is under investigation by U.K. counter-terrorism officials. According to The Guardian, the package caught fire after arriving from a flight on July 22 before being extinguished by firefighters.
In a statement to Reuters, the logistics company said, “DHL applies strict security measures throughout its global network and works in full compliance with all applicable transport security laws, regulations and procedures.”
