Russia Accused Of Plotting Sabotage Against U.S.-Bound Aircraft

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Russia was behind a plot to start fires aboard cargo and passenger aircraft heading from Europe to Canada and the U.S. The publication said explosions at DHL hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, U.K., in July were dress rehearsals for the plot, which was apparently aimed at bringing down the aircraft. Reuters reported the WSJ (subscription required) cited Western security officials as its sources.

The incendiary devices were hand massagers that were packed with magnesium and “appear to have been a test run to figure out how to get such incendiary devices aboard planes bound for North America.” The fires in the U.K. and Germany occurred on the ground and were dealt with by DHL workers without significant damage. Four people have been arrested in Poland in connection with the plot and two others are on the run. The WSJ said the operation had the hallmarks of a new strategy by Russian intelligence to hire local amateurs to do their dirty work.