This story originally appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.
Two incendiary devices bound for delivery by DHL from Europe to North America were discovered this summer, prompting Western officials to investigate their origin.
A Wall Street Journal report broke the news Monday that the devices caught fire at DHL’s logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England, in July. The report stated that investigators in Europe have determined the electric massagers implanted with a flammable substance were part of a larger Russian sabotage operation.
“Security officials say the electric massagers, sent to the U.K. from Lithuania, appear to have been a test run to figure out how to get such incendiary devices aboard planes bound for North America,” the report stated.
One suspect, Alexander Suranovas, going by the alias Igor Prudnikov, was arrested on suspicion of sending four incendiary devices from Vilnius, Lithuania. The report stated that Poland has also arrested four people in connection to the fires and is working with other countries to find at least two additional suspects.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he had not heard any official accusations of Russian involvement, and any suggestion otherwise was unsubstantiated.
AP News reported that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has added security measures for certain cargo shipments imported to the U.S., though public statements have not yet been made by any U.S. agencies on the matter.
Glennah Ivey-Walker, head of DHL corporate communications for the Americas region, provided the following emailed statement to AirlineGeeks from DHL Group:
“We are aware of two recent incidents involving shipments in our network,” she said. “We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities to protect our people, our network and our customers’ shipments.”
