Western intelligence services believe Russia was planning to bomb planes bound for the US
The information was reported exclusively by The Wall Street Journal, which cites several security officials regarding this newly revealed Russian plot, which aimed to sabotage several flights.
Russian military personnel patrol in front of the Kremlin.
A new report from The Wall Street Journal cites intelligence sources warning of a Russian plot to sabotage several U.S.-bound flights. According to intelligence officials, Russia was planning to sneak in as shipments several explosive devices to cause fires on these aircraft.
The Wall Street Journal report was published exclusively on Monday. It is supported by statements from Western intelligence services, who suspect Russia was plotting carry out such an attack.
Russia's objective was reportedly to sabotage DHL's parcel delivery flights in order to sow chaos in the United States. The attacks never happened, as the explosive devices were ignited at the wrong time.
The devices exploded at DHL logistics centers in July, one in Leipzig, Germany, and another in Birmingham, U.K. The explosions triggered a multinational investigation in Europe to find the culprits.
Following that investigation, Poland's National Prosecutor's Office reported that Polish authorities have arrested four people in connection with the fires and charged them with involvement in sabotage or terrorist operations on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency. Poland is cooperating with other countries to find at least two other suspects.
The head of Poland's foreign intelligence agency, Pawel Szota, pointed directly to Russia as responsible for these incidents. In statements picked up by The Wall Street Journal, he assured that the Kremlin leaders are unaware of the consequences their plans would have had, had they been carried out.
Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that, "We have never heard any official accusations" of Russian involvement, adding, "These are the traditional unsubstantiated insinuations from the media."
Electric massagers
It is believed that the electric massagers were shipped to the United Kingdom from Lithuania, which shares a border with Russia.
This is allegedly just one part of a much larger plot, according to sources consulted by WSJ.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration declined to comment on the alleged plot. The agency said only that it is working with U.S. and foreign airlines to put in place additional security measures on air cargo shipments as part of ongoing efforts to improve security.
LATEST
