Suspect bombers with Russian links arrested in Switzerland

The suspects are accused of helping to plant a bomb on a DHL plane 2024 Bloomberg Finance Lp

The German authorities have arrested three Ukrainians, one in Switzerland, on suspicion of acting as foreign saboteurs on behalf of Russia.

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The accused had agreed to commit arson and explosive attacks on freight transport in Germany by the end of March 2025 at the latest, according to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office.

individuals working for the Russian state are said to have used the accused to “send packages containing explosive or incendiary devices from Germany to recipients in Ukraine, which would ignite during transport.”

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To scout transport routes, one of them allegedly posted two test packages in Cologne containing, among other things, GPS trackers. German media investigations had revealed that they also attempted to plant incendiary devices on cargo planes.

The first arrest reportedly took place on May 9 in Cologne. The second suspect was arrested a day later in Konstanz, Germany. Both men have already been brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe and are in custody. 

Sabotage warnings

The third man was arrested on Tuesday in the Swiss canton of Thurgau. He is expected to appear in Karlsruhe after being extradited from Switzerland. All three suspects are Ukrainian citizens. The two young men arrested in Germany, as far as is known, were not employed.

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The Federal Prosecutor’s Office says it is conducting the case because of its “particular importance.” The Federal Criminal Police Office is conducting the investigation.

The Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) have warned repeatedly about Russian sabotage and espionage in recent months.

In July 2024, among other incidents, a package sent from the Baltic states allegedly caught fire, containing an incendiary device. The package set fire to an entire cargo container at the DHL logistics center in Leipzig.

Aggressive behaviour

It was only by a stroke of luck that the package caught fire on the ground at the DHL logistics center and not during the flight, said the now-retired former BfV President, Thomas Haldenwang.

“We are observing aggressive behaviour by the Russian intelligence services,” said the then head of the agency. Espionage and sabotage by Russian actors has increased in Germany – “both quantitatively and qualitatively.”

In March, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution then referred to several examples of suspected sabotage from the past few months – including incidents on German warships, for which investigations are still ongoing.

Adapted from German by DeepL/mga

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