The Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau and the country's Prosecutor General's Office reported the arrest of several suspects in organizing terrorist attacks in European countries. As stated in the press release, the group, consisting of citizens of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine, sent several parcels with explosives from Vilnius in July 2024 via DHL and DPD.
According to the investigation, in July 2024, a Lithuanian citizen sent four parcels with homemade explosive-incendiary devices. Two of them were sent by DHL cargo planes to the United Kingdom, and another two to Poland on DPD cargo trucks.
The first parcel exploded and caught fire at Leipzig airport on July 20 before being loaded onto a DHL flight to the United Kingdom. Another one exploded at a warehouse in Birmingham two days later. On July 21, the third parcel exploded while in a DPD cargo truck traveling through Poland. The fourth shipment did not explode due to a technical malfunction.
The explosive devices were controlled by electronic timers hidden in massage pillows. Additional mixtures of flammable substances were placed in tubes with hygiene and cosmetic products to enhance the effect of the detonation, the Lithuanian police noted.
The pre-trial investigation showed that Russian citizens and people "having connections with the military-intelligence agencies of the Russian Federation" were involved in the crimes. Among the suspects now are 15 people. Three of them, with Russian citizenship, have been declared internationally wanted. As discovered by the "Agency"*, one of them turned out to be Andrey Baburov, who commanded a Russian submarine in the 1990s.
Some of the organizers are also allegedly involved in the arson of an IKEA store warehouse in Vilnius in May 2024.
* Recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia.