London - Fears of a co-ordinated Islamist terrorist offensive deepened yesterday after the US post office warned that it had received "credible and specific information" that parcel bombs had been sent to US or British addresses in the run up to the Christmas and millennium celebrations.
Mr Dan Mihalko, a spokesman for the postal inspectors office, said information from an unspecified foreign intelligence service suggested that "some type of mail bombs may be coming from Frankfurt, Germany, into the United States or the United Kingdom."
While refusing to specify where the threat came from, Scotland Yard last night confirmed that Britain could be a target of Islamist dissidents linked to Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born militant who has taken refuge in Afghanistan.
"There may be groups or individuals who may try to disrupt the celebrations and people should be on their guard against any suspect packages or anyone acting suspiciously," warned Mr Alan Fry, head of the yard's anti-terrorist branch.
He added: "Recent arrests in Jordan and the USA have heightened the public's awareness of a possible threat from Islamic extremist groups."