German security authorities sent an alert to logistics and aviation companies today about “unconventional incendiary devices” deliberately placed in parcels.
The Federal Criminal Police Office (German abbr: BKA) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (German abbr: BfV) domestic intelligence agency said there had been several incidents in recent weeks of parcels sent by private individuals in multiple European countries catching fire while in transit.
They said it could be assumed that the motive was “to damage freight service companies and other logistics infrastructure” and that additional incendiary packages could be in circulation.
Security sources told the media of an incident at the global hub of the leading shipping company DHL in the eastern German city of Leipzig in July in which a parcel sent from one of the Baltic states contained an incendiary device that ignited, setting on fire an entire freight container that contained additional parcels. The blaze quickly was extinguished.
DHL told the media it was aware of two recent incendiary incidents in its network and was cooperating with German authorities and taking steps to protect its network, employees, facilities and parcels of customers.
Security sources said Russia, which has orchestrated low-level arson attacks in the European Union as part of its so-called hybrid aggression against the West, is a suspect.
Anarchists and ultra-leftists in recent decades sporadically have staged letter- and parcel-bomb campaigns, although recipients have been targeted rather than entire shipping networks, as appears to be the present case.
Shipping companies should closely coordinate their response to the current situation with German and other European security authorities.
Other companies should monitor developments and redouble parcel screening.
