VILNIUS, March 6 - European law enforcement agencies on Friday announced that 22 people have been identified as participants in a sequence of parcel explosions that occurred in 2024, and said the operation is believed to have been carried out on behalf of Russia's military intelligence service.
Eurojust, the European Union agency for judicial cooperation, said a joint probe by detectives from Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Britain and Lithuania produced the list of suspects, who it located in Lithuania and Poland. The agency's statement said the individuals were "recruited from Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine and were often in a vulnerable socio-economic situation." Eurojust added that it is suspected the incidents were executed on behalf of the military-intelligence service of the Russian Federation.
Authorities described the events as a string of explosions and fires centered on courier networks. Incidents took place at courier depots and on transport routes in Britain, Germany and Poland. Security officials have suggested these attacks may have been a test run for a plan intended to cause explosions on cargo flights headed to the United States.
Lithuanian prosecutors provided several operational details at a press briefing. Deputy General Prosecutor Arturas Urbelis said five suspects - citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania - will be prosecuted in Lithuania on terrorism charges. If convicted, those defendants could face up to 10 years in prison, he said.
According to Lithuanian authorities, four parcels containing "self-made, explosive-incendiary charges" were mailed from Vilnius on July 19, 2024. One of those packages, sent via DHL, caught fire at Leipzig airport in eastern Germany shortly before it was due to be loaded on a DHL aircraft bound for Britain. A second parcel detonated on a DPD truck while it was transiting Poland, and a third exploded inside a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, England. Investigators said a fourth parcel being moved on a DPD truck in Poland failed to ignite because of a malfunction.
Officials reported that no injuries resulted from any of the incidents.
Eurojust also said the investigation found two "test packages" that had been sent to the United States and Canada, and two other parcels in Amsterdam that were intended for the same destinations. British counter-terrorism officers continue to investigate the Birmingham explosion, police said in a statement.
Last year, authorities arrested a Romanian man on suspicion of assisting a foreign spy service; he was later released under investigation, according to the statement from investigators.
Russia's defence ministry, the body responsible for military intelligence, did not immediately answer a request for comment. Moscow has consistently denied involvement in such operations and has previously rejected similar accusations, often labeling them as examples of Russophobia, Eurojust noted.
"The strength of cooperation in this case has led us to collectively identify what we believe to be Russian military intelligence involvement in a series of incidents across Europe," said Vicki Evans, Britain’s Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing.
The multi-jurisdictional inquiry highlights the cross-border nature of both modern logistics and the threats that can exploit it. Investigators say the suspects were drawn from a range of countries and that many were in vulnerable socio-economic circumstances at the time of recruitment. Prosecutors in Lithuania have moved to bring terrorism charges against a subset of suspects while inquiries proceed elsewhere in Europe.
Reporting note: Authorities continue to develop the case across several countries. Statements from prosecuting offices and police agencies remain the basis for details that have been released publicly.