Playing With Fire

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European security officials are investigating a suspected Russian plot to place incendiary devices on cargo flights bound from Germany to other European destinations, viewing it as a trial run for future attacks targeting aircraft flying to North America, the Washington Post reported.

Authorities first uncovered the plot in July when a package – disguised as an electric massager but containing magnesium-based flammable material – ignited at a DHL cargo hub in Leipzig, Germany.

Another similar device caught fire in Birmingham, England.

German authorities tested replicas of the devices and reported that the magnesium fires would be difficult to extinguish with standard aircraft firefighting systems. If ignited mid-flight, especially over the ocean, these devices could result in a catastrophic crash.

They described the discovery of the package as a “lucky coincidence,” saying the device ignited on the ground and spared the aircraft from a potential disaster, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Investigators suggested that the incendiary devices were part of a covert plan to test the feasibility of smuggling dangerous materials onto flights destined for the United States and Canada. They added that some packages without incendiary components had successfully reached North American addresses as part of a trial run for a wider attack.

The revelations come more than a week after Polish authorities arrested four individuals connected to the plot and are trying to locate two more suspects. Meanwhile, Lithuanian police detained a man initially identified as Igor Prudnikov, who turned out to be Alexander Suranovas, suspected of acting as a Russian intelligence proxy.

Officials now believe the operation is part of a larger sabotage campaign by Russian intelligence operatives aimed at disrupting Western infrastructure as tensions grow between Russia and NATO over the war in Ukraine.

In response, the US Transportation Security Administration has implemented heightened security measures for US-bound cargo flights.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has launched its own probe into the Birmingham fire and is coordinating efforts with European law enforcement.

British intelligence officials have publicly condemned Russia’s increasingly “reckless” actions, but the Kremlin has dismissed the allegations as “Russophobic hysteria” and denied any involvement.