News Story

An investigation into a Russian-backed parcel bomb plot which hit the UK and Europe has identified 22 suspects.

British and European authorities launched a joint investigation after a number of self-igniting parcels went off in the UK, Germany and Poland.

One such package caught fire at a DHL depot near Birmingham in 2024.

Four parcels were sent from Lithuania to addresses in the UK and Poland in total, the European Union agency Eurojust said.

The consequences could have been far worse if the devices ignited during a flight, officials fear.

A parcel sent through a sorting centre in Germany caught fire at Leipzig airport, just before it was loaded on to an aircraft.

Investigators identified two test packages that had been sent to the United States and Canada, as well as two parcels in Amsterdam intended for the same destinations.

Authorities have identified 22 suspects in Lithuania and Poland likely to have been working on behalf Russian military intelligence services.

Two cases have now been sent to courts in Lithuania and Poland, with trials expected to happen later in the year.

The suspected perpetrators were recruited from Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine, and were often in a “vulnerable socio-economic situation”, Eurojust said.

They were recruited and given instructions through an online messaging service, with tasks divided among them and payments made in cryptocurrencies.

A 38-year-old Romanian man was arrested by counter-terrorism police over the Birmingham fire.

He was apprehended after arriving on a flight to the UK at Stansted Airport.

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.

“National security is the first duty of government, and our law enforcement partners will continue to use the range of tools and powers available to them to keep the British public safe.”