Officials suspect Russia behind incendiary devices bound for North America

Western security officials believe Russia orchestrated an attempted attack aimed at igniting fires on cargo or passenger planes bound for the US and Canada using incendiary devices shipped via DHL. 

In July, two devices—hidden within electric massagers containing a magnesium-based flammable substance, per the Wall Street Journal—caught fire at DHL logistics hubs in Leipzig, Germany and Birmingham, England, respectively.

Fortunately, the packages ignited on the ground.

The explosions prompted a multinational investigation. Officials believe the devices, sent from Lithuania to the UK, may have been a test by Russian spies for future sabotage attempts to test if such packages could be shipped to the US and Canada.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has since implemented stricter security protocols. Russia has denied any involvement in the plot.