A package of electric sex toys concealing incendiary devices that caught on fire in DHL depots in Britain and Germany was sent by Russian military intelligence, the Metropolitan police have said.
British and European authorities launched a joint investigation after a number of self-igniting parcels went off in the UK, Germany and Poland.
One package caught fire at a DHL depot near Birmingham on July 22, 2024, while a second caught alight at a centre in Leipzig, Germany.
It was previously revealed that the explosives were reportedly hidden in a shipment containing erotic gadgets and massage pillows, as they were used as cover to smuggle highly dangerous incendiary devices onto cargo routes destined for Western Europe.
The only official statement in the UK about the alleged plot was issued by counter-terror police who confirmed a device had caught fire, nobody was hurt, and it was dealt with ‘by staff and the local fire brigade at the time’.
Sources previously suggested the package in Leipzig was also bound for the UK, but it remains unclear why the UK was the chosen destination for the two devices, originally shipped from Lithuania.
Authorities have identified 22 suspects in Lithuania and Poland likely to have been working on behalf of the Russian military intelligence services.
Images previously released by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), provided by an unnamed European security official, appear to show the massage pillows, suspect and the moment of the explosion.
One package caught fire at a DHL depot near Birmingham on July 22, 2024
The only official statement in the UK about the alleged plot was issued by counter-terror police who confirmed a device had caught fire, nobody was hurt, and it was dealt with ‘by staff and the local fire brigade at the time’
Massage pillows and other erotic gadgets were reportedly found in a shipment that concealed incendiary devices that later detonated in British and German DHL depots
Four parcels were sent from Lithuania to addresses in the UK and Poland, the European Union agency Eurojust said.
While another parcel sent through a sorting centre in Germany caught fire at Leipzig airport, just before it was loaded onto an aircraft.
The consequences could have been far worse if any of the camouflaged devices ignited during a flight, officials fear.
Investigators also identified two test packages that had been sent to the United States and Canada, as well as two parcels in Amsterdam intended for the same destinations.
Two cases have now been sent to courts in Lithuania and Poland, with trials expected to happen later in the year.
The suspected perpetrators were recruited from Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine, and were often in a ‘vulnerable socio-economic situation’, Eurojust said.
They were recruited and given instructions through an online messaging service, with tasks divided among them and payments made in cryptocurrencies.
A 38-year-old Romanian man was arrested by counter-terrorism police over the Birmingham fire and remains under investigation.
He was apprehended after arriving on a flight to the UK at Stansted Airport.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘Russia’s ongoing hostile action puts our national security at risk, which is why this Government has taken concerted action to deter their hostility – increasing defence spending, expelling intelligence officers, sanctioning the GRU, targeting their illicit finance, and ensuring many of their proxies are brought to justice.
‘National security is the first duty of government, and our law enforcement partners will continue to use the range of tools and powers available to them to keep the British public safe.’
Head of Poland’s foreign intelligence agency, Pawel Szota, previously blamed Russia, although the prosecutor’s office statement did not name a foreign government suspected of directing the operations.
British police and officials, as well as their European counterparts in Germany, Poland and Lithuania, also strongly suspected that Russia was behind the attacks as part of an effort to cause ‘mayhem’ in the west in retaliation for western military support to Ukraine.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: ‘The work of our European counterparts has been truly remarkable and demonstrates the critical need for us to work across borders, as well as the expertise of our colleagues overseas.
‘The strength of cooperation in this case has led us to collectively identify what we believe to be Russian military intelligence involvement in a series of incidents across Europe.
‘Our investigation is ongoing, and we continue to liaise closely with partners to ensure we’re doing all we can to keep the sector, and the public safe.
‘We have been clear and open about the increasing levels of demand we’re seeing relating to the activity of foreign states here in the UK.
‘For Counter Terrorism Policing this means more investigations, and our teams are working around the clock to identify and disrupt a range of activity to protect the UK and the public from terrorism and other national security threats.’
In November, the WSJ reported that the secretive weapons were electronic massagers modified with a flammable magnesium-based substance.
Magnesium-related fires are notoriously challenging to put out and are worsened if water is applied.
But Russia denied involvement in the alleged plot.
‘These are traditional unsubstantiated insinuations from the media,’ Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the US newspaper.
