Four arrests over air cargo incendiary plot

Polish authorities have reportedly arrested four people in connection to an alleged plot to conceal incendiary devices in airfreight shipments.

According to Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office, it began an investigation in August based on information obtained by the country’s Internal Security Agency, reported media, including CBC News.

A media statement by the National Prosecutor’s Office said plans involved “sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport”.

“The group’s goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada.”

Reports suggest authorities are continuing to search for two further suspects.

Earlier this month, Air Cargo News reported that a shipment containing an incendiary device found its way into DHL’s UK parcel network and caught fire in July.

The Guardian and German broadcasters WDR and NDR reported that the device had been transported by aircraft into the UK and later caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham.

A similar incident occurred in Germany earlier this year with the package igniting in Leipzig.

The incidents in the UK and Germany are being investigated by anti-terror police and are suspected to be part of a wider campaign carried out by Russian spies across Europe this year.

The incidents have resulted in other countries ramping up their security requirements for shipments from Europe and CIS countries.

Australia recently joined the US and Canada in adding stricter security requirements for cargo originating from the regions.

Airforwarders Association executive director Brandon Fried also recently warned that the discovery of incendiary devices in European parcel networks has implications for global supply chains and international economies.

He said that similar incidents could affect supply chains across the globe with end customers experiencing delays and cancellations in deliveries in the run-up to the holiday season.

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