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 Der 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. counterterrorism officials. According to The Guardian, the package caught fire after arriving from a flight on July 22 before being extinguished by firefighters.
“DHL applies strict security measures throughout its global network and works in full compliance with all applicable transport security laws, regulations and procedures,” the logistics company said in a statement to Reuters.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.
