Lithuanian court rejects request for lighter pre-trial measures in DHL explosive parcels case
A Vilnius court has rejected a request to ease pre-trial restrictions for Eldar Salmanov, one of five defendants accused of sending explosive parcels via DHL and DPD courier services, LRT reports.
Salmanov’s defence lawyer had petitioned the Vilnius Regional Court to replace his detention with less severe measures, but judges ruled that no new evidence had been presented to justify the change. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 3 August, where prosecutors plan to question a DHL representative in Germany and begin interrogating the remaining defendants.
The case centres on five men—Aleksandras Šuranovas, Daniil Jencius, Vasilijus Kovačas, Vadym Borsukas, and Salmanov—accused of planning and executing terrorist acts as part of an organised group. The suspects, holding Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Russian citizenship, allegedly used DHL and DPD services to ship four parcels containing improvised explosive devices from Vilnius in July 2024.
Two parcels were addressed to the UK via DHL cargo flights, while two others were sent to Poland via DPD trucks. The first device detonated at Leipzig Airport on 20 July before loading onto a connecting flight. A second exploded in a DPD truck travelling through Poland the following night, and a third ignited in a DHL warehouse in Birmingham roughly 24 hours later. The fourth device failed to detonate due to a malfunction and was seized by authorities.
Investigators found that the explosives were concealed in packages labelled as massage devices and body care products. All defendants have pleaded not guilty. Authorities believe the attacks were orchestrated by Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), with the suspects acting as intermediaries or executors. A broader investigation has identified at least 16 individuals from multiple countries involved in planning similar terrorist acts, often targeting vulnerable recruits via encrypted messaging and cryptocurrency payments.