Germany investigates fires caused by incendiary devices in parcels
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany is investigating several fires caused by incendiary devices hidden inside parcels at a warehouse in Leipzig earlier this year, the country’s prosecutor general said on Tuesday.
German authorities warned businesses in August that dangerous parcels might be in circulation after several incidents in which freight sent by private individuals in a number of European countries caught fire while in transit.
On Monday, Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, told a parliamentary committee that Germany had only narrowly escaped a plane crash when an air freight parcel caught fire.
In the same parliamentary hearing, Haldenwang pointed to a significant increase in Russian espionage and sabotage activities in Germany.
The prosecutor general’s office declined to comment on a possible link to Russia, saying that no additional information could be given due to the ongoing nature of the investigation into “attempted aggravated arson”.
Shipping business DHL, which runs the Leipzig warehouse, said due to ongoing investigations in several European countries it had taken measures to protect its network, employees and facilities, as well as its customers’ shipments.
“DHL applies strict security measures throughout its global network and works in full compliance with all applicable transport security laws, regulations and procedures,” it said in a statement.
The packages that caught fire contained electronic consumer devices and containers with liquids that were likely prepared with the intention to damage logistics infrastructure, according to a letter German authorities sent to businesses in August.
(Reporting by Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel More and Christina Fincher)
