Russian spies were behind a plot to send bombs to the UK in parcels of sex toys and cosmetics, police have revealed.
The explosives, which were in packages containing massage pillows, sex toys, lubricants and make-up, were sent to Britain causing an explosion at a depot near Birmingham Airport.
No one was hurt but security officials believe the devices could have led to mass casualties if they had ignited on a passenger or cargo flight.
Police first launched an investigation when a package burst into flames after arriving by air at the DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham, on July 22, 2024.
Within days, a parcel similarly caught fire as it was about to be loaded on to a plane at another DHL facility in Leipzig, Germany. Disaster was only averted because the flight had been delayed.
In Poland, a third package caught fire in a truck and authorities discovered a second device intact, which enabled experts to analyse its damage potential.
Police discovered that four parcels containing incendiary devices had been sent to the US, Canada and Amsterdam in dummy runs.
A joint British and European investigation has now traced the sabotage operation back to Russia’s GRU military intelligence.
A package that caught fire at a DHL depot near Birmingham on July 22, 2024 has now been traced to Russia’s GRU military intelligence
Russian spies were behind a plot to send bombs to the UK in parcels of sex toys and cosmetics. PIctured: Russian President and former KGB intelligence officer Vladimir Putin
Police first launched an investigation when a package burst into flames after arriving by air at the DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham, on July 22, 2024 (file photo)
Russian spies are believed to have tasked 22 operatives in Lithuania and Poland who are facing prosecution later this year.
Investigators discovered massage pillows hiding homemade incendiary devices made of a cocktail of chemicals, including highly reactive magnesium.
Magnesium-related fires are notoriously challenging to put out and get worse if water is applied.
Four parcels were sent from Lithuania to addresses in the UK and Poland, the European Union agency Eurojust said. The 22 defendants were recruited from Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine, and were often in a ‘vulnerable socio-economic situation’, according to investigators.
A GRU unit is alleged to have tasked them through an online messaging service, making payments remotely through cryptocurrencies.
A 38-year-old Romanian man arrested by counter-terrorism police in Britain over the Birmingham fire remains under investigation. He was apprehended after arriving on a flight to the UK at Stansted Airport.
On Friday, 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.’
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: ‘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.’