German firms warned of packages containing incendiary devices

BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities have warned businesses that packages containing incendiary devices had caught fire en route across Europe and that more such parcels could be circulating, a letter to companies seen by Reuters showed on Friday.

A spokesperson for the federal criminal police known as BKA said the letter had been sent to German companies and business associations, declining to provide further details.

In the letter dated Wednesday, BKA and Germany's domestic intelligence service said they had received information on "several consignments dispatched by private individuals in Europe that caught fire on their itineraries in several European countries".

The packages contained electronic consumer devices and containers with liquids and were likely prepared with the intention to damage logistics infrastructure, according to the letter. It could not be ruled out that more "unconventional incendiary devices" will be circulating, it added.

However it did not say if there was any indication of who had sent the packages, or where the fires had happened. The letter and the BKA spokesperson did not specify any damage caused by fires so far.

Shipping business DHL said two cases had affected its Express parcel delivery network.

"DHL Express has taken measures in all European countries to protect its network, its staff and facilities as well as customers' consignments," DHL said.

Airline Lufthansa's air freight unit Lufthansa Cargo said it had not been affected but was in touch with the authorities.

German news agency dpa first reported on the letter, saying it was sent specifically to logistics and freight companies.

(Reporting by Alexander Ratz in Berlin and Matthias Inverardi in Duesseldorf; Writing by Miranda Murray and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Friederike Heine and David Holmes)