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... Papperger was one of a number of defense industry chiefs in Europe to be targeted but the plot against him was believed to be more advanced, the sources said.

The revelations followed recent warnings from NATO's secretary-general, European governments and U.S. officials about an expanding effort by Moscow to disrupt arms deliveries to Ukraine as it tries to defend itself against invading Russian troops.

The White House National Security Council would not comment directly on the specific case involving Rheinmetall, but council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the Biden administration was concerned about the growing threat of Russian sabotage.

"While I don't have a comment on this specific report, Russia's intensifying campaign of subversion is something that we are taking extremely seriously and have been intently focused on over the past few months," Watson said. "The United States has been discussing this issue with our NATO Allies, and we are actively working together to expose and disrupt these activities. We have also been clear that Russia's actions will not deter Allies from continuing to support Ukraine." ...