Overview
- In July 2024 a package sent from Vilnius caught fire at DHL’s Leipzig/Halle logistics centre at 5:43 a.m. and did not ignite on board because the cargo plane left later than scheduled.
- DHL told a Vilnius court that two of four suspected incendiary devices were shipped via its network from Vilnius, with one starting a container fire in Leipzig and another later burning in a UK warehouse.
- The company acknowledged that routine X‑ray screening failed to detect the concealed devices and said it has tightened screening procedures and handed investigatory data to Lithuanian authorities.
- Lithuanian prosecutors charged five men in spring 2026 with terrorist acts and forming an organized terrorist group while a wider probe has identified about 16 suspects who investigators say were linked to Russian military intelligence.
- The case has prompted cross‑border police cooperation and industry scrutiny of parcel screening and aviation safety, and it keeps courts and investigators active as new evidence is presented in Vilnius.