Russian intelligence is suspected of being behind several “self-igniting” parcel fires around Europe, including one in Birmingham. The Metropolitan Police said an investigation involving multiple countries was ongoing after “several fires involving cargo”. The fire at a DHL depot in Birmingham in July 2024 has been linked to other incidents on the continent. A 38-year-old Romanian national was arrested in the UK last year on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence agency. He was released, but remains under investigation. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said Russian military intelligence is believed to be responsible. Image: A self-igniting parcel burns. Pic: @Eurojust Four parcels were sent from Lithuania to addresses in the UK and Poland in July 2024, a joint statement from European investigators revealed. One caught fire in transit at Leipzig airport, where it was about to be loaded on to a plane, another exploded inside a truck in Poland, one was seized intact, and the other was the Birmingham incident. “Test packages” were also sent to the US and Canada, while two more parcels bound …