Contact with Russia: Incendiary devices in packages: Lithuania arrests suspects

In Lithuania, judicial authorities have uncovered a network of individuals allegedly planning and organizing arson attacks in various European countries. According to the Prosecutor General's Office in Vilnius, they allegedly sent packages containing homemade explosives via courier services to other EU countries and the United Kingdom on behalf of the Russian secret service. The highly flammable incendiary devices with time fuses were concealed in massage pillows and cosmetic tubes.

The packages were reportedly posted by a Lithuanian citizen on July 19, 2024. Two shipments were reportedly sent from Vilnius to the UK on DHL cargo planes, and the other two were sent to Poland on DPD trucks. One of them caught fire at the DHL logistics center in Leipzig , where it was to be reloaded and forwarded to its final destination.

According to investigators, another package detonated on July 21 in a DPD truck traveling through Poland, and a third on July 22 in a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, England. The fourth package failed to detonate due to a technical defect, according to the authorities' statement.

The authorities did not specify in the statement how many people were arrested in Lithuania or other countries. During the investigation, it was determined that the actions were organized and coordinated by Russian citizens with ties to Russian military intelligence .

A total of 15 people are suspected of organizing and carrying out the alleged attacks. International arrest warrants have been issued for three people, authorities announced. During the investigation, more than 30 searches were conducted in Lithuania, Poland, Latvia , and Estonia , and additional incendiary devices were found. Authorities suspect that the seized explosives were intended for use in further attacks.