Russia suspected after device put on flight caused UK warehouse fire

Exclusive Inquiry into whether spies planted parcel to explode mid-air

- Dan Sabbagh

Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Russian spies planted an incendiary device that caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham after arriving on a plane to Britain, the Guardian can reveal. No one was reported injured in the fire on 22 July at the warehouse in Minworth that handles parcels for delivery. The blaze was dealt with by the fire brigade and staff.

The parcel is believed to have arrived at the DHL warehouse by air. Neither the type of aircraft or its destination are known.

But there could have been serious consequences if the parcel had ignited during the flight.

A similar incident occurred in Germany, also in late July, when a suspect package bound for a flight caught fire at another DHL facility in Leipzig and investigators are looking at links between the two.

The German authorities warned this week that had the parcel caught fire mid-air it could have brought the plane down.

Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence service, told members of the country's parliament on Monday that had the Leipzig package started burning during a flight "it would have resulted in a crash".

The incident in Birmingham was disclosed only after joint inquiries by the Guardian and German broadcasters WDR and NDR, prompting questions about why the authorities had not revealed the incident earlier.

A Metropolitan police counter-terrorism spokesperson confirmed that counter-terrorism policing were "investigating an incident at a commercial premises in Midpoint Way, Minworth.