Russia wants to ‘create havoc’ if it is behind DHL fires, says air freight expert

Goal seems to be for people ‘to lose confidence in the system’, says Brandon Fried after devices found in Birmingham and Leipzig

Russia is aiming to disrupt western confidence if it is proven to be behind an incendiary device plot that led to two parcels catching light at DHL sites in Birmingham and Leipzig in July, an expert has said.

The dangerous packages are not thought to have been sophisticated but in both cases appear to have evaded security checks. German authorities warned this week that a plane could have been downed if a device had ignited in mid-air transport.