An apparent firebomb attack at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, linked to Russian-backed saboteurs, was believed to be a trial run for a US attack, according to Polish officials.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed four arrests after parcels “containing explosives” were allegedly sent via courier companies to countries including the UK.
Counter-terror police in the UK are already investigating whether Russia had any involvement after a suspicious package caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Minworth in July.
Authorities in Germany are also examining several fires thought to have been caused by incendiary devices hidden inside parcels at a warehouse in Leipzig.
Polish Prosecutor Katarzyna Calow-Jaszewska said the latest arrests were related to parcels “which spontaneously ignited or detonated during land and air transport” to EU countries and the UK.
She said the group’s goal was allegedly “to test the transfer channel for such parcels, which were ultimately to be sent to the United States of America and Canada”.
She added that four people involved in “sabotage” and “of an international nature were detained”.
On Monday, Counter Terrorism Policing said the arrests reported by Polish authorities were not carried out as part of its investigation.
It coincides with reports by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the devices were “electric massagers implanted with a magnesium-based flammable substance” and “part of a wider Russian plot”.
Russia has denied involvement. A Kremlin spokesperson told the US newspaper the claims were “traditional unsubstantiated insinuations from the media”.
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A suspicious fire took hold in July at a DHL warehouse in the UK after a package arrived by air, but further details about the plane and its flight path are unknown.
Last month British police said their investigation was “being led by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command with support from colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands”.
The production is slick, the pundits are sharp and the players are gods.
This is no traditional tournament though. This is professional gaming. Fans are watching the best players in the world playing their favourite game, in an arena, for a cash prize.
Around 15,000 fans from across the world are in Birmingham watching pros go head-to-head (virtually) throughout the week, with many thousands more watching the competition online.
The tournament, ESL One Birmingham, is being held at the Resorts World Arena near the city’s airport.
While many people will have heard of some of the games that are played at big esports events like this, such as Fifa, the game being played this week in Birmingham will be less widely known.
Dota 2 is described to me by one gaming analyst as being ‘kind of like chess’ but with flashing lights and novelty characters.
There are two teams of five players and, before play can begin, a considerable amount of time is spent by the professionals choosing their own characters and trying to stop the other team from choosing characters which might be overly advantageous during the game.
Then, frankly, the rules of the game are lost on me but I’m told it involves a king, queens and trying to destroy the enemy’s (the other team’s) base.
The fans tell me part of the appeal of Dota is how difficult the game is, but ultimately the enjoyment of being a spectator is the same as for sports enthusiasts.
“It’s about the professional aspect of it, similar with football. You can go and play football but it’s nice to see people playing it at a level you could never play at,” says fan Ryan Freeman.
Image: Pic: ESL One Birmingham
I’m here to watch the competition’s semi-final between the UK team, Tundra, and a Saudi Arabian team, Falcons. There aren’t actually any UK players in Tundra and Falcons are an equally international bunch.
Much like in professional athletic sports, esports teams are buying and selling the best players in the world. The pros in Tundra and Falcons are some of the best paid in the industry.
One expert tells me at this level, players can make $10,000 (£8,000) a month, plus tournament winnings and sponsorship deals. The prize pot at this competition is $1m (£800,000) although that is shared between the teams, with the winning team taking $300,000 (£240,000).
Image: Pic: ESL One Birmingham
“I think many people think of the esports team as just five guys who like playing the game at home,” says Alvaro Sanchez Velasco, Product Manager at ESL One Birmingham.
“But the [team] organisations have boot camps, they have schedules that include training regimens, psychological visits. They usually have a team manager and team psychologist, that’s very common these days, as well as a coach and assistant coach.”
Jonas Volek is a Czech professional gamer and although he’s not taking part in this tournament in Birmingham, he’s here to commentate and analyse the games. While I’m interviewing him I see a line of fans developing, they’re clearly waiting for him to finish speaking.
Image: Pic: ESL One Birmingham
When he does, they all ask for selfies.
Mr Volek, 23, played chess as a child, then switched to video games and by 12 years old he was hooked on Dota 2, becoming a professional player by his late teens. Now he competes in tournaments across the world.
“It’s not really a job, it’s more of a lifestyle because it takes so much of my time,” says Mr Volek.
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“When I’m really training, it takes 12 hours a day, and I’m always travelling. There’s no time for anything else.”
I didn’t see any female players on stage in Birmingham, and the audience is dominated by men.
“I do hope one day I’ll see more women up there playing the game in the best teams,” says fan Charlotte Keane.
But there isn’t the charged, often volatile atmosphere that you might find at many sporting events, particularly men’s football.
There is some comic ‘smack talk’ between players from opposing teams, egged on by the hosts for the audience’s enjoyment. But after one player criticises the other player’s hair in mock-serious fashion, one of the hosts decides that’s enough play fighting.
Of course, for the fans, there isn’t the same territorial spirit that comes with supporting a particular football team for instance. Mostly this is about respect for the individual players, who can’t hear any of the cheers or chants from the crowd during the game as they wear noise cancelling headphones so they can focus on winning.
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After about an hour of play, Falcons are victorious, and the fans make their way out of the auditorium to buy hot dogs and fish and chips.
This event feels distinctly less boozy than any sporting competition I’ve ever been to. But, even for an enthusiast, Dota 2 does not seem like the kind of game it would be easy to follow after a few pints.
Two people have been rescued after being trapped inside a burning building, following a suspected arson attack.
West Midlands Police said firearms officers spotted the fire at Villa Road, Lozells in Birmingham just before midnight on Sunday.
The police officers alerted the fire brigade and then entered the building next door before leading the occupants out to safety.
Footage showed them using a battering ram to break down the door to make the rescue.
They also checked another property located above the fire but found no one was inside.
Police said their officers were checked by paramedics at the scene, with one going to hospital for further checks for smoke inhalation.
They added that their investigators were treating the incident as arson.
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DS David Newson, from Birmingham CID, said: “This fire had the potential to have really serious consequences. Thankfully, the quick-thinking response of officers in the face of danger to themselves got the two residents to safety.
“We are working with our colleagues at WMFS Fire Investigation Team and would like to hear from local people as we try to build a picture of what has happened.
“Villa Road is a main route and we’d ask anyone who was driving along it between 11pm and midnight time, to take a look at any dashcam they may have, as it could hold vital evidence for our investigation.”
A teenage boy has died after being found stabbed in Birmingham city centre’s Victoria Square.
The 17-year-old victim was discovered with serious knife wounds by police at about 3.30pm on Saturday.
He later died in hospital and his family have been informed, West Midlands Police said.
The cordon in the square, which is home to Birmingham’s city council building, has since been lifted, but there will be a heightened police presence in the area, the force added.
Officers want to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time, including tourists who may have been taking pictures by The River statue or near the Council House.
Chief Inspector James Spencer said: “The life of a 17-year-old boy has tragically been taken away and all our thoughts are with his family and friends at this awful time.
“It’s very early stages in the investigation but we have a team of skilled detectives who are working to identify, and arrest, whoever did this.”
A man believed to be sleeping rough in an underpass in Birmingham has suffered potentially life-changing injuries to his face and hands after being set on fire.
West Midlands Police said the victim, aged in his 30s, is in a stable condition in hospital following the “shocking attack” which took place shortly after 9.20am last Tuesday.
His bedding was set alight and then piled on top of him near the intersection of Hockley Hill and Boulton Middleway, the force said.
It has released an image of a man officers want to speak to who was riding on an electric scooter in the area at the time.
A police statement appealing for witnesses and information said: “We know this image isn’t very clear, and we are working to find further CCTV opportunities, but we hope that this image may prompt someone to come forward with information.
“The man is described as white, 5ft 5in, and wearing a white vest, white hoodie, black gloves, grey jogging bottoms, black shoes and wearing chains.”
A man has been found guilty of attempting to murder two elderly worshippers by setting them alight after they left mosques in London and Birmingham.
Mohammed Abbkr, 29, prayed with the congregation before waiting for victims Hashi Odowa, 82, and Mohammed Rayaz, 70, outside.
He followed both men before spraying them with petrol from a water bottle and using a lighter to set them on fire.
Birmingham Crown Court heard Abbkr set fire to Mr Odowa on 27 February as he made his way to a neighbour’s car outside West Ealing Islamic Centre, in west London.
Mr Odowa escaped serious injury as he was able to remove his burning jacket and vest, while his neighbour removed his burning hat and took off his own jacket to help smother the flames.
Abbkr, of Gillott Road, Edgbaston, then attacked Mr Rayaz around 100 miles away on 20 March after he left the Dudley Road Mosque in Birmingham.
CCTV captured Mr Rayaz’s shouts of pain as he was engulfed in a ball of flame, which subsided to reveal he was on fire from head to foot.
Abbkr then threw more petrol onto the flames, causing a second fireball to engulf his victim.
Image: Mohammed Rayaz (right) and Hashi Odowa (left)
Image: Abbkr used a water bottle filled with fuel and a lighter
Chief Inspector Haroon Chughtai, from West Midlands Police, said both men were left with “long-lasting physical injuries and significant mental trauma”.
Counter-terrorism officers were involved in the investigation into the attacks in the run-up to Ramadan but no motive has been identified.
“This was not treated as a terrorist incident. To date there is no evidence of an ideology,” the officer said.
“These were horrific unprovoked attacks on two men in their 70s and 80s who were leaving their local mosques and going home after their prayers.”
Image: Abbkr following Mohammed Rayaz after leaving a prayer service in Birmingham
Image: Mohammed Rayaz’s burnt jacket
Abbkr, who came to the UK from Sudan in 2017 seeking asylum and was granted leave to remain two years later, had denied two counts of attempted murder and two alternative counts of maliciously administering a destructive thing to endanger life.
Jurors were told he admitted to setting the victims on fire but they had to determine whether he had intended to kill his victims and if he had known what he was doing and that it was wrong.
They heard evidence from psychiatrists who said he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks.
Abbkr told his trial he believed those he had set on fire were among several people “controlling him through magic” and claimed he did not expect them to have been hurt.
But the prosecution encouraged the jury to reject the defence of insanity, arguing that Abbkr had known what he was doing was wrong and had intended to kill his victims.
American NFL superstar Tom Brady has become a minority owner of Sky Bet Championship club Birmingham City.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has partnered with the club’s holding company Knighthead Capital Management LLC and becomes chairman of a new advisory board.
The club said Brady will “apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise” across several areas including the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programmes.
Brady said on the club’s official website: “Birmingham is an iconic club with so much history and passion and to be part of the Blues is a real honour for me.
“BCFC is built on teamwork and determination and I’m excited to work alongside the board, management and players to make our second-city club second to none.
“I’ve been part of some amazing teams in my day, and I’m looking forward to applying my perspective to create that same success here in Birmingham.”
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Brady has partnered up with Knighthead Capital on several other ventures and new Blues chairman Tom Wagner is looking forward to Brady’s “direct impact”.
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He said: “Tom Brady joining the Birmingham team is a statement of intent. We are setting the bar at world class.
“Tom is both investing and committing his time and extensive expertise. As chair of the advisory board Tom will have a direct impact on the club. The men’s, women’s, and academy teams are going to benefit from the knowledge.
“The goal that Tom has committed to own is to make Birmingham a respected leader in nutrition, health, wellness, and recovery across the world of football.”
He added: “Success does not come overnight. It takes time. But when you have great leaders in place everything becomes possible.”
Brady, widely regarded as one of the greatest NFL players of all time, announced his retirement in February.
He spent the first 20 years of his professional career at the New England Patriots, before joining Tampa Bay in 2020.
The 46-year-old split from his wife last year, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, with the sports star revealing it was “painful and difficult”.
Police have launched a murder investigation after a woman was found dead in a woodland in Birmingham last night.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said: “We’ve arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead in Ladywood last night, Tuesday 1 August.
“A woman was found with serious injuries in woodland off Freeth Street at around 8.45pm. Sadly nothing could be done to save her.”
Officers remain at the scene while investigations continue.
Three men are facing jail after being found guilty of plotting to kill a man who owed money to a drug dealer.
Connor Palmer, Craig Miller and Elijah Stokes were all convicted after they were found guilty of arranging a hitman to kill the man in Birmingham.
In May 2020, the partner of the man the men arranged to have killed opened the door to find another man in a Tesco jacket and hi-vis vest.
He asked the woman if she was “expecting a delivery”, before adding “he’s here, isn’t he?” and walking into the house and shooting at the victim.
He was shot five times and taken to hospital, but survived. A child in the house was unhurt.
Palmer, Miller and Stokes, as well as one other, formed a group that was paid £100,000 by the drug dealer, who is now based in Dubai, to kill the man, Birmingham Crown Court was told.
They used £40,000 of the cash to pay the hitman, while Stokes arranged for a car and gun to be delivered to him.
Weeks later, the drug dealer ordered another hit through Miller, sending a photo with the caption “that’s him”, to which Miller replied: “Clips going in his head.”
The attack never took place.
The messages were discovered on EncroChat, an encrypted service used exclusively by criminals, according to the police.
However, the encryption was hacked by international police, meaning messages could be read by investigators.
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Stokes, 38, of Earlsdon, and Palmer, 40, from Surrey, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder, while Miller, 37, from Epsom, was found guilty of two counts of the same charge.
The gunman has never been identified.
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
Detective Inspector Gemma Currie said: “The messages we uncovered as part of this investigation make for truly chilling reading and are like something from a movie.
“It was a miracle that the victim of the shooting in Sheldon survived. It was thanks to the EncroChat breakthrough that we were unable to unravel this conspiracy to murder.
“The gang thought that they were able to communicate securely about their murderous plans, but thanks to the international law enforcement community, we were able to show exactly what they were planning and how they planned it.”
