Counter-terrorism police investigating UK warehouse fire over possible links to Russia
Counter-terrorism police are investigating possible Russian involvement in an incident in Birmingham where a package caught fire at a DHL warehouse.
It comes as another package suspiciously caught fire at a DHL facility in Leipzig, Germany, while other incidents involving fires suspected to have been started by Russian spies were identified across Europe this year.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that officers from counter-terrorism policing are investigating an incident at a commercial premises in Midpoint Way, Minworth.
“On Monday 22 July, a package at the location caught alight. It was dealt with by staff and the local fire brigade at the time and there were no reports of any injuries or significant damage caused.”
The spokesperson added officers were liaising with other European law enforcement partners “to identify whether this may or may not be connected to any other similar-type incidents across Europe”.
Nobody was reported injured in the fire and the blaze was dealt with by local fire brigade and staff. No arrests have been made and British police inquiries are continuing.
A spokesperson for DHL said: “DHL Express Europe is taking risk mitigation actions to secure its network, staff and assets as well as customer shipments by implementing strengthened security measures across the European countries as a reaction to ongoing investigations by authorities from several countries.”
The parcel is thought to have arrived by air, sparking concern that there could have been serious consequences if it had ignited while on the plane.
Also in late July, a package in Leipzig that had been bound for a flight caught fire, with German authorities warning this week that had it gone off in mid-air it could have downed the plane.
Both incidents were only disclosed after joint inquiries by The Guardian and German broadcasters WDR and NDR.
The two recent incidents underscore a growing concern that Russian spies are trying to attack European countries supportive of Ukraine against Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Last week, MI5 chief Ken McCallum warned that Russia’s GRU military intelligence was on “a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets”. He added such attacks were taking the form of “arson, sabotage and more”.
The incident in Birmingham is the second suspected arson attack in the UK this year after a warehouse in east London belonging to a company linked to Ukraine caught fire in March. Seven men were charged with involvement in the incident, which was also linked to a Russian plot.
In Warsaw in May, a shopping centre was also destroyed by a fire that Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, warned was “quite likely” started by GRU operatives.
In July, US intelligence services also reported they had foiled Russian plans to murder Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German arms maker Rheinmetall.