Seventh letter bomb prompts nationwide alert

BRITAIN: Police have put companies and the public on nationwide alert about a letter bomb campaign after confirming that seven…

BRITAIN:Police have put companies and the public on nationwide alert about a letter bomb campaign after confirming that seven explosive devices have been posted in England and Wales in the last three weeks.

The latest blast, injuring four workers at the DVLA, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, in Swansea yesterday morning, prompted questions in the House of Commons and an assurance from prime minister Tony Blair that the incidents were being investigated "very closely".

The National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism, meanwhile, confirmed police were pursuing "priority lines of inquiry" in an increasingly urgent effort to identify the perpetrator of a campaign which union leaders warned could result in loss of life.

Eight people have been injured in the seven blasts, featuring devices which assistant chief constable Anton Setchell described as being of a "small pyrotechnic nature", seemingly designed to cause shock and relatively minor injuries. However, the Local Government Association's chief executive, Paul Coen, warned that a continuation of the campaign could result in someone losing their life.

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Mr Coen, whose association represents more than 400 councils in England and Wales, said: "It is vital that people employed in councils work together and remain alert to help protect themselves and their colleagues from these vicious acts of vigilantism. We can only hope the perpetrator of these bombings is caught by the police before someone is seriously injured or killed."

Mr Setchell said the devices had all been contained in padded A5 envelopes addressed to post or position-holders within the targeted companies, as opposed to named individuals.

The letter bombs had not contained "conventional explosives" and appeared designed to activate when the contents were pulled from their package. All seven of the targeted businesses had links with the criminal justice system, specifically with forensic science and traffic enforcement.

However, while speculation has variously linked animal rights activists and motorists' groups to the attacks, Mr Setchell said: "We have had no contact from any group or organisation claiming any responsibility or setting out their reason or motivations for the course of action that has been taken."

Police were therefore keeping "a completely open mind about the motivation" while clearly now pursuing "some priority lines of inquiry".

The first of the seven letter bombs was sent to a DNA-testing specialist in Oxfordshire last month. Another two sent to the government-owned Forensic Science Service in Birmingham and another forensic science company in Oxfordshire were intercepted and did not activate.

Last Saturday, a letter bomb exploded at the home of a man in Folkestone believed to be a security company manager responsible for providing door staff and security services to businesses.

On three consecutive days this week devices have been sent to motoring-related companies in London, Berkshire and south Wales.