Lyce · Hybrid Watch
hw_9cca3cc25fa47221
A parcel caught on fire in Birmingham in DHL warehouse.
The DHL warehouse fire in Birmingham was part of a synchronized sabotage campaign by Russian intelligence, designed to test the feasibility of downing cargo and passenger aircraft. The parcel, similarly to the one that caught on fire in Leipzig, originated from Lithuania. The package had already been transported by air before it reached the warehouse. Counter-terrorism officials noted that if the incendiary device had ignited just a few hours earlier while the plane was over the Atlantic or the English Channel, the results would have been catastrophic. The incendiary was an “unconventional” device hidden inside a consumer electronics item. It contained a highly flammable magnesium-based mixture, exactly like a parcel in Germany. Magnesium fires burn at approximately 2,200°C, which is hot enough to melt through an aircraft’s aluminum fuselage and extremely difficult to suppress with standard onboard fire extinguishers. The Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command and MI5 have formally linked the incident to the GRU (Russian Military Intelligence).
E/M/R/S scores
- EExistence0/4 · Not assessed
- MIntent0/4 · Not assessed
- RRussian actor link0/4 · Not assessed
- SRussian state responsibility0/4 · Not assessed
Facts
No facts
Sources
-
- Role
- discovery_lead
- Date
- 2024-07-22T12:50:57Z
The DHL warehouse fire in Birmingham was part of a synchronized sabotage campaign by Russian intelligence, designed to test the feasibility of downing cargo and passenger aircraft. The parcel, similarly to the one that caught on fire in Leipzig, originated from Lithuania. The package had already been transported by air before it reached the warehouse. Counter-terrorism officials noted that if the incendiary device had ignited just a few hours earlier while the plane was over the Atlantic or the English Channel, the results would have been catastrophic. The incendiary was an “unconventional” device hidden inside a consumer electronics item. It contained a highly flammable magnesium-based mixture, exactly like a parcel in Germany. Magnesium fires burn at approximately 2,200°C, which is hot enough to melt through an aircraft’s aluminum fuselage and extremely difficult to suppress with standard onboard fire extinguishers. The Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command and MI5 have formally linked the incident to the GRU (Russian Military Intelligence).