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: North Finchley and Golders Green MP’s office hit by suspected arson attack
December 26, 2023
Police are investigating a suspected arson attack at the office of North London Conservative MP Mike Freer. A fire broke out at the rear of the North Finchley and Golders Green MP’s constituency office at around 19:00 on Christmas Eve. The Met Police confirmed it is investigating the fire. Mr Freer told the BBC the fire ...
- Cyprus: Christmas day car bombing in Limassol
December 25, 2023
A car was targeted by an improvised explosive device in the early hours of the morning on Christmas day. The car, belonging to a 52-year-old accountant in Limassol, was parked outside the owner’s residence in the Mesa Geitonia area. The assailant placed a factory-made explosive device enhanced with low-power explosive material in the car’s windscreen and ...
- The Netherlands: Explosives found in Amsterdam homeless shelter during ongoing investigation
December 24, 2023
Police officers investigating a suspicious situation at a homeless shelter in Amsterdam found several explosives after evacuating the building. Emergency services coordinated a massive response just after 10 a.m., sending many police officers and firefighters to the scene. One person was arrested in connection with the case. The Dutch military’s explosives ordinance disposal team was among ...
- Germany sends ammunition, demining equipment to Ukraine
December 23, 2023
Germany has transferred additional military aid to Ukraine, including tank ammunition, demining equipment, and anti-aircraft guns, the German government announced on Dec. 22. Germany has consistently supported Ukraine with weapons and equipment deliveries since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The supplies come from the German army and government contracts with private companies. The latest shipment ...
- Cyprus: No clear evidence emerges in Paphos explosion case
December 22, 2023
Despite intense investigations for the second consecutive day in connection with the placement of an explosive device at the residence of a 58-year-old official from the Legal Service in Paphos, substantive progress in the investigations remains elusive. Simultaneously, evidence and other materials discovered at the crime scene have already been sent for scientific examination at the ...
- S. Korea Donates Demining Equipment to Ukraine
December 22, 2023
South Korea has reportedly donated demining machines to Ukraine as humanitarian assistance. According to the South Korean embassy in Ukraine on Thursday, two demining machines and ten pickup trucks were handed over to Ukraine at a ceremony in Kyiv in a partial fulfillment of an earlier aid promise of ten demining machines and 100 trucks in ...
- Europol: Crackdown on material designed to ‘educate’ future terrorists
December 21, 2023
On 18 December, Europol’s EU Internet Referral Unit coordinated a Referral Action Day (RAD) on terrorist online content. The operational action also involved special units from Czechia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Finland, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and different units at Europol specialised in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear substances and explosives (CBRNE), as well as ...
- EU funds further strategic reserves for medical, chemical, biological and radio-nuclear emergencies worth €690 million
December 20, 2023
The Commission is allocating today around €690 million to Czechia, Finland, France, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Romania to further develop the rescEU strategic reserves of medical and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) items. The reserves are part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism’s rescEU medical stocks funded by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority ...
- Ukrainian spies vow to stab Russia ‘with a needle in the heart’
December 20, 2023
Ukraine’s spies aim to intensify intelligence operations and conduct sabotage strikes deep in Russian-controlled territory next year to bring the war as close to the Kremlin as possible, the head of Ukraine’s SBU security service told POLITICO. “We cannot disclose our plans. They should remain a shocker for the enemy. We prepare surprises,” Major General Vasyl ...
- Spain: Authorities arrest three teenagers who expressed their intent to carry out a terrorist action
December 20, 2023
The National Police of Spain successfully thwarted a potential jihadist attack by arresting three highly radicalised teenagers in coordinated operations in Madrid and Barcelona. The individuals, minors who had actively expressed their intent to carry out a terrorist action, were taken into custody this Monday. The teenagers went further, expressing a clear intention to carry out ...
- Morocco, Spain arrest extremists in joint security operation
December 19, 2023
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) under the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) arrested on Tuesday, as part of a joint security operation with the General Commissariat for Information of the Spanish police, an extremist active in Farkhana (Nador region), in parallel with the arrest by the Spanish authorities of other elements in ...
- Ukraine: Over 200,000 hectares of agricultural land put back into use since beginning of the year
December 19, 2023
Ukraine’s and non-governmental operators’ bomb disposal units have inspected and brought back into use over 200,000 hectares of agricultural land since the beginning of the year. “Our bomb disposal experts from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, State Transport Special Service and non-governmental mine action operators are performing very well. We are inspecting 3,000 to 5,000 hectares of ...
- UK: Three Second World War bombs detonated on Walton beach
December 19, 2023
The Walton Coastguard Rescue team and the explosive Ordnance Disposal team were sent to inspect part of Walton beach on Saturday. Upon arrival the crews discovered three unexploded ordnances which following an inspection were confirmed to be from the Second World War. The mortar rounds are understood to have washed up on the beach during low ...
- Greece: Explosive device deactivated near riot police HQ in Zografou
December 18, 2023
The bomb disposal squad discovered and defused an explosive device near the headquarters of the riot police officers (MAT) in the district of Zografou in central Athens on Monday. Unidentified individuals had earlier sent an audio message to the Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper and the Zougla news website, alerting them to the placement of a bomb ...
- UK: Arrests made and public’s help sought following explosion in Sidcup
December 18, 2023
Detectives investigating an explosion in Sidcup where a ULEZ camera and surrounding property were damaged have arrested two men. The arrests were made on Monday, 18 December by detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, which is leading the investigation due to its expertise in incidents involving explosives. A 60-year-old man in Sidcup was arrested at ...