Alleged sabotage nearly caused a flight to crash in Germany earlier this year when a package destined for its cargo hold burst into flames before being loaded.
One of the country’s spy chiefs warned of an increase in “aggressive behavior” by Kremlin-sponsored agents.
German intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang said a disaster was narrowly averted after the package caught fire on the ground at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig, instead of on board the plane in the air as planned. .
It is still unclear to whom the package was sent or who was behind the attack, although security services are working on the basis that Russia was involved in the near-miss.
Haldenwang told a Bundestag committee that if the package had ignited after the plane took off, the plane would have crashed.
The head of the German intelligence service, Thomas Haldenwang, warned of an increase in “aggressive behavior” from Moscow by revealing that a flight almost
The suspicious package exploded at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig before it could be loaded onto a plane.
The Kremlin’s aggression is “putting people’s lives at risk,” in addition to affecting “all areas of our free society,” he said.
The suspicious package is believed to have been sent from one of the Baltic countries, before exploding at the logistics centre, setting an entire cargo container on fire.
It came amid growing concern that the packages were rigged with suspected incendiary devices.
A DHL spokesperson said in September: ‘In response to ongoing investigations by authorities in several countries, DHL Express has taken measures in all European countries to protect its network, employees and facilities, as well as shipments of their clients.
“We are aware of two recent incidents that affected shipments in our network.”
Foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Putin would likely “further test the West’s red lines” amid rising tensions between Russia and NATO over the despot’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said there was now a willingness at a “previously unknown level” to attempt sabotage from the Kremlin.
It is unclear whether the attacked plane was a cargo or passenger plane.
Martina Rosenberg, head of the military counterintelligence service, said Moscow attempted to use acts of sabotage to “create a sense of instability,” the FOOT reported.
He added that the Kremlin was interested in obtaining information on German arms shipments, with the country being one of the largest suppliers of weapons to Ukraine.
Germany has also trained Ukrainian soldiers with Western military equipment.
It comes as MI5 chief Ken McCullum last week warned of hostile state actors, saying Moscow was trying to “create chaos” while plots are forming in Iran at an “unprecedented rate”.
Bruno Kahl, head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, warned that Putin seeks to “test the West’s red lines” with covert attacks.
A warehouse in London belonging to a company with links to Ukraine caught fire in an alleged deliberate attack in March.
Meanwhile, in Germany, a military base was the target of an alleged attempt to contaminate its drinking water in August.
US intelligence also uncovered a plot to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of arms maker Rheinmetall, which has supplied vehicles and ammunition to Ukraine.
And Russia was accused by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk of being behind a fire at a shopping center in Warsaw.
