Russia sabotage

Plane crash in Germany narrowly averted

A DHL cargo plane in a hangar in Leipzig

(Bild: APA/AFP)

A parcel at Leipzig Airport caught fire in the summer - a catastrophe was narrowly avoided, according to reports from the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. It is said to have been an act of Russian sabotage. If the plane with the incendiary package had taken off in time, the fire would have broken out in the plane and it would have crashed.

The German secret services warned of a growing threat from Russia at a hearing of the Bundestag's Parliamentary Control Committee on Monday.

Package almost caught fire in plane
A case of espionage had led to a particularly dicey situation at the DHL logistics center at Leipzig Airport. A parcel from the Baltic States almost led to a plane crash, as reported by "Bild" with reference to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. If the plane had taken off on time with the parcel, which contained an incendiary device, it would have ignited during the flight. 

Fortunately, only one container caught fire at the DHL logistics center

(Bild: AFP)

President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution speaks of a lucky coincidence
It was just a lucky coincidence that it caught fire in the logistics center on the ground due to the time delay, explained the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang. It had "only" ignited a container and not an airplane. Security circles suspect that Russian sabotage was behind the incident. 

Following this incident, the security authorities warned against "unconventional incendiary devices" that are sent via freight service providers. The security notice stated that it was "aware of several parcel shipments that were posted by private individuals at locations in Europe and caught fire en route to their addressees in several European countries".

"We are in a direct confrontation with Russia"
"By the end of this decade at the latest, Russian forces should be in a position to carry out an attack on NATO," said Bruno Kahl, President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), at the hearing on Monday. The Kremlin sees Germany as an adversary. "We are in direct conflict with Russia," emphasized Kahl.

In addition, the Russian intelligence services were increasingly using all their resources "and without any scruples". "A further escalation of the situation is anything but unlikely," warned the BND President.

Kremlin sees NATO as a threat
Russia rejected Kahl's statement. It is NATO that is threatening Russia and not the other way around, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, referring to the gradual expansion of NATO in recent years - although the Eastern European states have always wanted this.