British counter-terrorism police have launched an investigation into a massive fire at an electrical substation near London‘s Heathrow Airport, as experts speculate that the blaze bears the hallmarks of a possible Russian sabotage plot.
The fire, which erupted late Thursday, knocked out power to Europe’s busiest airport, causing the cancellation of over 1,300 flights and disrupting travel for approximately 291,000 passengers. While authorities have yet to determine the cause, the Metropolitan Police said that its terrorism command would take the lead in the probe, keeping an “open mind” regarding potential foul play.
Security experts are raising concerns over possible foreign interference, with some pointing to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a potential instigator. University of Buckingham professor Anthony Glees suggested that Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency is likely scrutinising whether the incident was a Kremlin-backed attack.
“We are obliged to consider Russian military intelligence involvement in an event as serious as this,” Glees told LBC. “It’s a major strike on our national infrastructure. Given that there are over 585,000 electrical substations in the UK, the fact that this particular one exploded does not seem coincidental.”
Former military officials have echoed these concerns. Colonel Hamish de Bretton Gordon told The Sun that the fire bore “all the hallmarks of Russian sabotage.” He noted the rarity of such incidents and pointed to a fire at a Ukrainian-owned warehouse in London last year, which was later linked to Russian-backed arson.
“There is still no hard evidence, but circumstantially, this is straight out of Moscow’s sabotage playbook,” Gordon said. “It’s unusual for substations to catch fire, and for backup systems to fail as well. The timing is very suspicious.”
Former major general Jonathan Shaw, ex-director of special forces, also warned of potential Russian involvement, saying, “Obviously, we should be worried. This is a real possibility, and it highlights our vulnerability.”
Despite these warnings, UK energy minister Ed Miliband said on Friday that there was no official indication of foul play. Similarly, London fire brigade’s deputy commissioner, Jonathan Smith, declined to comment on whether the incident was being treated as a possible terrorist act, confirming only that the police were investigating alongside fire officials.
