Court extends detention of Russian citizen in incendiary parcel case

A Vilnius Regional Court has extended for up to three months the detention of Eldar Salmanov, a Russian citizen living in Estonia who is accused of terrorism in the incendiary parcel case, LRT reported.

Prosecutor Šarūnas Astrauskas had asked the court to extend Salmanov’s detention, saying that a less restrictive measure could allow him to flee or hide from the court. Salmanov’s lawyer opposed the request and asked for a lighter measure.

During the hearing, the lawyer asked Salmanov how much he could provide as bail. The defendant said the maximum amount would be 40,000 euros.

Judge Mindaugas Ražanskas granted the prosecutor’s request on Friday and extended the detention for the maximum three-month period.

Salmanov is one of five people charged over incendiary devices sent through DHL and DPD from Lithuania to other countries. The defendants are Lithuanian citizen Aleksandras Šuranovas, Ukrainian citizens Vadym Borsuk and Vasyl Kovach, Daniil Yentsius, who holds Russian and Lithuanian citizenship, and Salmanov.

They are accused of committing a terrorist act and participating in the activities of an organised terrorist group whose purpose was to carry out terrorist crimes. The defendants are aged between 23 and 69.

In July 2024, four parcels were sent from Lithuania to the United Kingdom and Poland. Two parcels transported by air reached a sorting centre in Germany. One caught fire at Leipzig Airport shortly before it was loaded onto a plane, while the second caught fire in a warehouse in the United Kingdom.

The parcel sent to Poland caught fire in the truck transporting it. A fourth parcel, carried by DPD by road, did not ignite because of a malfunction in the device and was intercepted by officers. An examination identified the mechanism of the device and assessed the danger it posed.

According to the charges, the fire in the United Kingdom caused almost 400,000 euros in damage, while the damage amounted to 126,000 euros in Germany and nearly 62,000 euros in Poland.

Officials say the defendants acted as operatives and intermediaries, while the organisers of the crimes are in Russia and currently cannot be reached. Investigators determined that the crimes were organised by Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, known as the GRU.

According to the prosecution, Šuranov sent the parcels containing incendiary devices from Lithuania using false identity details.

The criminal case was separated from another investigation involving at least 16 citizens of various countries who allegedly organised, planned or assisted in terrorist crimes in different countries.