Scorched landscapes across Europe have exposed a potentially lethal threat lurking underground.
Rusted bombs and mines from the First and Second World Wars are now endangering emergency crews responding to wildfires across the continent.
High heat has caused several weapons to explode in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In the Dutch province of Limburg, a bomb disposal team was called out to inspect woodland near the site of heavy 1944 combat threatened by flames.
Read more…
Source: Independent
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- UK: Man arrested after police uncovered ‘suspicious substances and items’ at a property
October 1, 2026
Hundreds of families in Weston-super-Mare were forced to evacuate overnight after police uncovered “some suspicious substances and items” at a property. Some 153 households were ordered to leave the area around Becket Road on Wednesday evening as the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD) raced to probe the items recovered. Avon and Somerset Police said the discovery came ...
- UK: Heathrow’s £1 billion scanner upgrade failed to end the 100ml liquid rule nationwide
October 1, 2026
Your hand-luggage liquid limit began as an emergency response to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot — a plan to detonate liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks on UK-to-North-America flights. Nearly two decades on, the rule remains the UK baseline because the next-generation scanners meant to retire it have repeatedly missed their deadlines. Heathrow only lifted the ...
- UK air base ‘terrorism’ plot probe continues after suspects released on bail
September 29, 2026
Police roadblocks and a cordon remained in place in the southwestern British village of Whelford on Tuesday morning, as the investigation continued into a possible terrorist plot near a key U.S. air base, with five men suspected of involvement arrested on Sunday but released on bail on Monday. Police said the men were suspected of terrorism ...
- Future Forces 2026: From Battlefield Lessons to Next-Generation Technology
September 28, 2026
21–23 October 2026 | International Exhibition and Professional Forum 24 October 2026 | Defence and Security Day for the Public From 21 to 23 October, PVA EXPO PRAGUE will host the sixteenth edition of the international Future Forces Exhibition & Forum (FF26) – one of the region’s biggest dates on the defence and security calendar. It brings ...
- UK: Counter-terror police leading probe into explosive arrests near RAF Fairford
September 27, 2026
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation that saw several men arrested for explosive offences near RAF Fairford. The police operation near RAF Fairford saw residents evacuated in the village of Whelford in Gloucestershire. The operation was not intelligence-led, meaning investigators had not known about any potential plot in advance. A large emergency services presence was seen ...
- Italy: Neo-Nazi posts and planned attacks – 17 young people under investigation
September 25, 2026
The operation was carried out throughout Italy. The youths, many of them minors, frequented supremacist social media groups and exchanged information to build explosive devices. They published manifestos about the massacres of white supremacist attackers, praising Hitler or Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of mosque attacks that killed dozens. But they also proposed techniques for carrying out ...
- Germany: Traces of explosives found near Wunstorf air base after drone incident
September 22, 2026
Traces of explosives have been found near a German military base close to where drone parts were discovered last week in an incident that investigators believe could be linked to the failed attack at Leipzig airport in August, security sources told dpa on Tuesday. It is still being investigated whether the traces can be linked to ...
- Sweden: CLEAN CARE Multinational Tabletop Exercise Strengthens CBRN Medical Readiness and Interoperability
September 22, 2026
Military and civilian medical and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence experts from 16 nations have gathered in Sweden for the CLEAN CARE multinational Tabletop Exercise (TTX), bringing together approximately 75 participants from NATO Allies and partner nations. Hosted by Sweden, the exercise provides a multinational forum in which medical and CBRN specialists can examine ...
- UK: Bomb squad deployed as ‘unexploded device’ found in Cornwall
September 21, 2026
A suspected unexploded device has been discovered in the water at a dockyard near Falmouth, Cornwall. Emergency services remain at the scene, with two nearby homes evacuated as a precaution. The Coastguard is also advising boat users to avoid the area while specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers assess the device. Local media reports indicate the ...
- Syria and Ukraine sign demining agreement to support recovery and development
September 20, 2026
Syria and Ukraine signed a high-level humanitarian cooperation agreement on Sunday at the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management in Damascus to enhance demining operations, technical surveying, and sustainable agricultural recovery. The agreement was signed by Syrian Civil Defense Director Mounir Mustafa and Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment Ihor Bezkaravainyi. It aims to leverage ...
- Bosnia and Herzegovina still has 756 sq km contaminated with mines
September 20, 2026
Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than three decades after the end of the war, has about 756 square kilometers of mine-suspected area, while the number of people trained in mine countermeasures has almost halved compared to the period before the coronavirus pandemic. The new law on mine action, which is still in the process of harmonization, ...
- Ireland: Bomb squad carried out controlled explosion in Finglas park
September 20, 2026
Homes around the North Way Estate Park in Finglas were evacuated on Saturday evening due to the discovery of a viable suspicious device. The Irish Defense Forces and Gardaí attended the scene, with the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit undertaking a controlled explosion on the device. Evacuated residents have since been allowed to return to their homes. Local ...
- Ukraine: Blast near recruitment center in Lviv region injures military service member
September 17, 2026
An explosion occurred near the building of a district Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) in Mykolaiv, Lviv region, injuring a TRC service member. “Today, at around 16:30, an explosion involving an unidentified device occurred near the entrance to the building of the Stryi District Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center in the town of Mykolaiv, Lviv region. ...
- UK: Macclesfield man found in possession of ‘terrorist material’ during police raid
September 17, 2026
A Macclesfield man found in possession of ‘terrorist material’ during a police raid has been jailed. Jonathan Wilson, of Abbey Road, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday, September 16. It comes after the 49-year-old admitted to nine counts of possessing/collecting of information likely to be useful to a person committing or ...
- Greece: Two arrested over ATM explosion
September 16, 2026
Police on Wednesday announced arrests in a case involving a criminal gang accused of stealing vehicles and blowing up an ATM in the town of Martino, south-central Fthiotida prefecture, as authorities investigate a series such robberies across Greece. Two local men, aged 44 and 29, were arrested Monday, Sept. 14, during coordinated operations in the greater ...