Lithuania Uncover Russian-Linked Cell Behind Terror Attacks Across Europe
Lithuanian law enforcement has detained members of a Russian-linked network accused of orchestrating multiple terrorist attacks in Europe, officials announced on Wednesday.
The Gaze reports this, referring to LRT.
According to Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office and the Criminal Police Bureau, investigators uncovered a group that coordinated the delivery of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to several countries in July 2024.
The plot involved the use of international delivery services, with parcels containing incendiary devices disguised inside massage pillows and hygiene products.
Two packages were shipped on DHL cargo flights bound for the United Kingdom, while two others were sent by DPD trucks to Poland.
On July 20, an IED exploded at Leipzig Airport in Germany, moments before being loaded onto a plane. The following day, another device detonated in a DPD truck in Poland.
A third exploded inside a DHL warehouse in Birmingham on July 22. A fourth device failed to activate due to a faulty detonator.
Investigators said the bombs contained thermite, an industrial and military-grade incendiary compound capable of producing extreme heat, along with chemical mixtures to intensify the fires.
A joint investigative team under Eurojust is now coordinating efforts among agencies from Lithuania, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia, the United States, and Canada.
Authorities allege that Russian citizens with ties to Moscow’s military intelligence services directed the operation. Several individuals already under suspicion for an attempted arson at an IKEA store in Vilnius on May 9, 2024, were also implicated.
These include Ukrainian national Danylo Hromov, who investigators say used the identity of a Russian citizen, and dual Lithuanian-Russian citizen Tomas Dovgan Stabachinskas.
Additional suspects from Lithuania, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine were recruited through personal contacts and messaging platforms such as Telegram, where they were offered payment in cryptocurrency. Tasks were compartmentalized, ranging from transporting and hiding explosives to activating the devices, in order to maintain secrecy.
Police conducted more than 30 searches across the Baltic states and Poland, seizing explosives hidden in food cans and a cache of detonators. At this stage, 15 individuals have been formally charged with organizing and preparing the attacks.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Germany’s Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) has warned that Russia is stepping up espionage and sabotage operations in the country.