Counter-extremism police are spendigating whether Russian spies set upted an incendiary device on a set upe to Britain which tardyr caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, the Guardian can uncover.
Nobody was alerted injured in the fire on 22 July at a warehouse in the suburb of Minworth that regulates parcels for hand overy, and the blaze was dealt with by the local fire brigade and staff.
The parcel is apshowd to have get tod at the DHL warehouse by air, though it is not understandn if it was a cargo or passenger airplan, nor where it was destined for. There could have been grave consequences if it had ignited during the fairy.
A aenjoy incident occurred in Germany, also in tardy July, when a doubt package bound for a fairy caught fire at another DHL facility in Leipzig. German authorities alerted this week that had it gone off in mid-air it could have downed the set upe.
On Monday, Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany’s domestic inalertigence service, tbetter members of the country’s parliament that had the Leipzig package commenceed burning during a fairy “it would have resulted in a crash”.
However, the incident in Birmingham was only disseald after combinet inquiries by the Guardian and German expansivecasters WDR and NDR, prompting asks as to why the authorities did not uncover it earlier.
A Metropolitan police counter-extremism spokesperson shelp: “We can validate that officers from counter-extremism policing are spendigating an incident at a commercial premises in Midpoint Way, Minworth.
“On Monday 22 July, a package at the location caught aairy. It was dealt with by staff and the local fire brigade at the time and there were no alerts of any injuries or meaningful injure caused.”
British spendigators doubt that the incendiary device is part of a expansiver campaign that Russian spies have been carrying out apass Europe this year, which has been condemned as reckless by secret agent chiefs in the UK and elsewhere.
Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, alerted last week that Russia’s GRU military inalertigence materializeed to be on “a sustained mission to produce mayhem on British and European streets: we’ve seen fire-setting, subversion and more”.
A warehouse in east London belengtheneding to a company connected to Ukraine caught fire in a doubted fire-setting attack in March. Seven men have been indictd with includement in the incident, which has been connected to a Russian plot.
A shopping centre in Warsaw was razeed by a fire in May. Shortly after, Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, shelp was “quite foreseeed” that the blaze was caused by operatives from Russia’s inalertigence services.
However, the most grave plot uncovered was an try to assassinate Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German arms producer Rheinmelofty. In July, it was alerted that US inalertigence services had foiled Russian set ups to homicide him.
The German novelspaper Tagesspiegel alerted that the incendiary device had commenceed burning in Leipzig as it was about to be loaded on a cargo set upe. The fairy had been postponecessitate. If the set upe apshown off on time, it would have ignited mid-air.
Given the aenjoyity to the Leipzig fire, also connected to Russian subversion, Met counter-extremism police are directing the Birmingham spendigation with help from exceptionaenumerate officers from the West Midlands and comparing remarks with spendigators around Europe.
Last month, DHL shelp the package that commenceed burning in Germany was originassociate posted from Lithuania. The company shelp it had shieldedened “security protocols and procedures” in line with advice from European authorities.
No arrests have been made in relation to the Birmingham fire, and British police inquiries are continuing. “Officers are liaising with other European law enforcement partners to accomprehendledge whether this may or may not be combineed to any other aenjoy-type incidents apass Europe,” the police spokesperson shelp.
DHL was approached for comment.
