Arrests made over "firebomb" attack at Birmingham warehouse
It's being investigated whether a suspicious fire in Minworth in July was a test run for a Russian-linked plot to send explosive parcels to the US
Last updated 5th Nov 2024
Polish authorities said four people were arrested over "parcels containing camouflaged explosives" that were allegedly sent via courier companies to countries including the UK.
Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said the arrests related to the sending of parcels "which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport" to EU countries and the UK.
Prosecutor Katarzyna Calow-Jaszewska said the group's goal was allegedly "to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada".
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are investigating the fire and are working with officers from West Midlands Police.
They say the arrests in Poland were not carried out as part of their investigation.
Fire crews and staff tackled the blaze on July 22 at the DHL warehouse in Minworth, near Birmingham.
The package - said to contain an incendiary device - is believed to have arrived at the DHL warehouse by air but further details about the plane and its flight path are unknown.
Counter Terrorism Policing said on Monday evening that the arrests reported by the Polish authorities were not carried out as part of its investigation.
Katarzyna Calow-Jaszewska, of Poland's National Prosecutor's Office, said: "During the proceedings, four people involved in the activities of the revealed sabotage and diversion group of an international nature were detained, charges were announced, and then temporarily arrested."
In a statement published on October 25, Ms Calow-Jaszewska added: "The group's activities consisted of sabotage and diversion related to sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to European Union countries and Great Britain, which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport.
"The group's goal was also to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada."