UK
Letter Bombs
Safety and Security
Europe
- United Kingdom
9 Feb 2007
Summary
This report details the recent spate of letter bomb explosions in the United
Kingdom. The devices have been described more as incendiaries rather than
explosives; when opened by the victim, they caused more of a "flash over"
than an explosion.
February
Four letter bombs exploded across the United Kingdom during the first week
of February, 2007:
Saturday, February 3: A letter bomb exploded in the private home of a
man in Folkestone, Kent. The man worked in the security field, and the
letter was addressed to the "senior manager" of a former security company
the man used to run from his home.
Monday, February 5: An employee of Capita Group
PLC was injured as she opened a letter which then exploded. The company
operates London's traffic-charging system.
Tuesday, February 6: Two employees of the accounting firm Vantis were
injured when a letter bomb exploded. Vantis provides accounting services to
Speed Check Services, the company that operates speed cameras in the UK.
Wednesday, February 7: An employee of the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency (DVLA) was injured when she opened a letter bomb that
exploded.
With the exception of the man injured on Saturday, the explosions all seem
to target companies associated with motorist issues. Fortunately, the
injuries caused by the letter bombs have been minor, and the devices
themselves have been small. The UK-based National Coordinator for Domestic
Extremism issued a statement on February 7 asking companies and individuals
to take extra care when handling their mail, urging people to call the
police if they come across any letter or package that appears suspicious.
Open sources have noted that a UK militant group,
Motorists Against Detection, has denied any involvement in the attacks. The
group claims to have destroyed 1,000 speed cameras in the past seven years,
but the group's leader said in a telephone interview that he condemned the
letter bomb attacks.
January
The February attacks come after an earlier round of UK letter bomb attacks
in mid-January. On January 18, a receptionist at the Abingdon office of
Orchid Cellmark was injured by a letter bomb. Four hours later, a similar
device was found at the LGC Forensics company in Culham; another similar
device was later discovered at Forensic Science Service in Birmingham. These
devices all contained a crude, firework-type explosive in an A5 Jiffy bag.
Each package had a similar return address and one had the name of a
convicted animal rights extremist written on the back of the envelope. All
three companies targeted were involved in providing forensic services to the
police, and open sources have noted that an animal rights extremist
investigation is underway.
Conclusion
According to the most recent open press reports, there has been no single
link identified among all of the letter bomb explosions. It is possible that
the January explosions can be attributed to animal rights extremists, while
the February bombs might be the work of disgruntled motorists. The American
travelers are reminded that officers of London's Metropolitan Police Service
have advised that there is nothing in these attacks that would indicate any
threat to U.S. businesses or American citizens in the UK. However,
constituents are also reminded that the British government has asked
companies and individuals to be vigilant when opening mail or packages, and
to contact the police if they come across anything suspicious.
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