Russia Accused Of Planning Terrorism Using US-Bound Jetliners

Intelligence officials from several Western nations have accused Russia of plotting to take down jetliners bound for the United States via incendiary devices according to an explosive report in The Wall Street Journal.

Report: Russia Planned To Sabotage US-Bound Aircraft With Explosive Devices

Look no further than Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England this summer for a test case of what Russia may have had in mind. Two incendiary devices–electric massagers implanted with a magnesium-based flammable substance–both shipped via German logistics company DHL, blew up before being loaded onto an aircraft.

Had the explosion occurred onboard, the magnesium fire may have been impossible to contain. DHL ships goods on both cargo and passenger jets. Intelligence agencies from Germany, the UK, and Lithuania have all concluded that Russia was behind these incidents and both marked a test case for how such goods could be successfully placed onboard a jetliner.

The devices were tracked to a DHL office in Vilnius, Lithuania, and a suspect who called himself Igor Prudnikov (his real name is Alexander Suranovas and he is believed to be a Russian spy) was arrested. Meanwhile, four suspects have been arrested in Poland and are thought to have been involved in the plot. Per Polish intelligence officials, “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.”

Of course, the Kremlin denies the allegations with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling the WSJ, “We have never heard any official accusations. These are traditional unsubstantiated insinuations from the media.”

This Is About Fear

Facts are continuing to emerge, but already it seems to me that Russia hoped to do what all terrorists seek to accomplish: instill fear and disrupt daily life, sowing the seeds of discord and mistrust. Yes, in the worst-case scenario, these cargo fires may have taken down a jetliner if the explosion occurred over the ocean and the fire spread rapidly.

But more likely, at least statistically, such a fire would have prompted an emergency landing and a frenzied evacuation of the aircraft. It would have instilled fear…what if my aircraft had such a device? It would have slowed commerce and led to the sort of ridiculous security checks we have endured at certain inflection points over the years.

Imagine waiting 60 minutes instead of six minutes to go through security and not being able to take items like electronic devices onboard.

That sort of disruption undermines commerce and trust in the institutions that are funded to keep us safe.

Just like with Russia’s misinformation campaign concerning today’s US presidential election, the aim of the game is to confuse and disrupt.

And if cargo containers start blowing up, do you really expect us do anything differently? The pandemic showed that some will stop at nothing in the face of fear, even if it means closing down schools and houses of worship.

Sadly, what Russia is trying to do makes sense…all is fair in love and war. And like lemmings, we will fall for it hook line, and sinker if one of these incendiary devices actually manages to detonate onboard an aircraft in the air.

CONCLUSION

I’m very happy that what could have been a lethal attack by Russian agents against US and Canadian-bound jetliners was averted…though I think the point was not the particular aircraft that was targeted but sowing the seeds of fear and division. Even as facts continue to emerge, we can recognize that campaigns of fear have always worked, but we need no stand in fear on this day or any day.

image: DHL