Bomb hoax man 'wanted time off' A man who made hoax calls about bombs at railway stations in an attempt to get time off work has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Stewart Monk, 28, of Ackerley Court, Ashford, Kent, worked as an on-board trolley steward for Rail Gourmet on trains between Kent and London. He admitted making 11 false bomb threats concerning London Charing Cross and Ashford International stations. Maidstone Crown Court heard how his calls caused chaos for commuters. They were made to a railway customer service centre in February and March this year. New baby On one occasion, Monk threatened: "There is a bomb at Ashford International, don't let the police know. I will blow it." And in another call he said: "There is an hour to go before the bomb at Charing Cross goes off." Two of the 11 calls were made from public telephone boxes, the other nine from Monk's own mobile phone. Bridget Todd, prosecuting, told the court: "Each case had to be dealt with as if it was bona fide." Monk's counsel John Honey said the motive appeared to have been "to get time off work... when he was tired because of the arrival of a baby". Mr Honey added that he was "bemused" as to why his client had used a personal phone to make some of the calls. Monk had previously admitted 11 counts of communicating information which was known or believed to be false. Jailing him on Friday, Recorder Peter Digney said: "You were causing fear and anxiety to a large number of people. "I do take into account the fact that you pleaded guilty at an early stage, otherwise the sentence would be considerably higher than it is." Monk was given two-and-a-half year sentences for each count, to run concurrently. The court heard that he has a previous conviction for leaving fake bombs - devices attached to an aerosol, with a wire running to a battery - in a shopping centre, hotel and cinema. 28 Sep 2007, BBC Letter-bombing caretaker jailed Primary school caretaker Miles Cooper, from Cambridge, has been given an indeterminate prison sentence following his letter bomb campaign which injured eight people. Miles Cooper, 27, from Cambridge, sent seven letter bombs to addresses in England and Wales earlier this year, five of which exploded. Judge Julian Hall said Cooper must serve four years and 149 days before being eligible for parole. He told Cooper: "You are a terrorist, there can be no mistake." Cooper did not contest that he sent the letters but denied intending to cause injury. He told Oxford Crown Court that he had been "concerned about the direction my country was heading in". He said that his aim was "ultimately to highlight my cause" and denied charges related to the seven letter bombs sent in January and February. The targets were three forensic science laboratories, a computer company, an accountancy firm, the DVLA and a residential address. 7 FEBRUARY: DVLA, SWANSEA, SOUTH WALES Four workers were injured when a device exploded at 0923GMT in the post room at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority's main centre in Swansea. Two men and two women were taken to hospital. One woman stayed on to be treated for cuts to her hands and body. 6 FEBRUARY: VANTIS, WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE Two men suffered blast wounds to their hands and upper bodies in an explosion at accountancy company Vantis in Wokingham, Berkshire. Police were called to the offices in Oaklands Business Centre, just after 0900 GMT when an item of mail ignited. The two victims, both in their 30s, were treated at the scene for minor blast injuries and the building was evacuated. The package was addressed to a company called Speed Check Services, which provides digital speed cameras to the police, but was opened by a Vantis employee. 5 FEBRUARY: CAPITA, CENTRAL LONDON Maja Kurcwald, a Polish national, suffered minor injuries in an explosion at the Capita office building in Victoria Street, central London. She was taken to hospital for treatment to her injuries after opening a package. Capita runs London's congestion charge system as well as providing HR and payroll services to central and local government departments and the police, and IT services to schools. 3 FEBRUARY: PRIVATE HOME, FOLKESTONE, KENT A device exploded at a house in Folkestone, Kent. Mike Wingfield, 53, received minor injuries, and his wife Rosemary was also hurt in the blast. 18 JANUARY: ORCHID CELLMARK, ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE Michelle Evans, a pregnant receptionist at Orchid Cellmark, which processes DNA samples, suffered a minor injury to her hand. The name of Barry Horne - an animal rights campaigner and convicted fire-bomber who died in 2001 - was written on the envelope. 18 JANUARY: LGC FORENSICS, CULHAM, NEAR ABINGDON A package was sent to LGC Forensics in Culham, near Abingdon, but was intercepted. LGC, which employs 1,000 people, was formerly the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and still has a statutory role. 18 JANUARY: CHELMSLEY WOOD, BIRMINGHAM The Forensic Science Service, a government-owned company which also provides scientific services to the police, received a suspect package. As with the Culham attack, the package was intercepted and did not explode. 28 Sep 2007, BBC Party-popper bomber targeted firms in 'protest at surveillance society' A school caretaker terrorised the public with a four-week letter-bomb campaign which he staged as a protest against the “surveillance society”, a court was told yesterday. Miles Cooper, 27, used children's party poppers to make packages that were designed to fire nails or shards of glass when they were opened. He posted seven devices to businesses connected with security, DNA testing, criminal records data and road cameras in January and February. Oxford Crown Court was told that five of the bombs exploded, injuring eight people, including a pregnant woman. The injuries included cuts, burns and loss of hearing. The makeshift detonators, nails and glass were packaged into A5 padded envelopes. When police raided Cooper's home in Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire, they found more devices that were due to be posted. “His bedroom was a bomb factory,” John Price, for the prosecution, said. “In it three further devices were found, assembled, packaged and ready to go.” There was, the jury was told, no dispute that Cooper had manufactured the devices and sent them through the post. Michael Wolkind, for the defence, said that his client admitted making and sending the letter bombs. “It does not provide him with a defence, but his motive was to protest against an overbearing, overintrusive, surveillance-obsessed society,” he said. But, he added, the prosecution had to prove that his intent was to cause harm or injury. Mr Price described how the letter bombs were constructed. On opening the flap and pulling the contents, the person holding the envelope unwittingly pulled a string that fired the specially adapted party popper. The explosion caused the projectile – either a single nail or several shards of glass – to shoot out of a small tube. Mr Price said that the devices were not lethal, but that “they were maliciously, indeed sadistically, conceived – plainly designed to cause unpleasant and painful injury to the person who opened them”. Each of the letter bombs was addressed to a company or an organisation rather than to any individual. Mr Price said: “In that sense, what the defendant did was entirely indiscriminate. He didn't really care who was hurt, as long as someone was.” The first device was posted on January 17 to the offices of Orchid Cellmark, a forensic science laboratory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was opened by Michelle Evans, who was pregnant and had started work as a receptionist a week earlier. “There was a loud bang, which shocked me, and there was smoke – the whole room filled with smoke,” Mrs Evans said. “I fell back on to the chair and dropped everything. I saw a nail on the desk in front of me. My hands were black and my thumb was bleeding.” Mrs Evans was taken to hospital as explosives experts examined the package. The name of the sender written on the package was “Barry Horne” – the identity of an animal rights bomber who died in prison on hunger strike in 2001. Mr Price said: “Despite the animal rights references on the first device, which were to be repeated on two others, it does not appear that animal rights was any part of the defendant's motivation.” Two further devices were sent to forensic science laboratories on the same day. But they had been alerted to the possibility of suspect packages and called the police. In February, four devices were sent. One exploded at the home of Michael Wingfield, who runs a small security business in Folkestone, Kent. It was packed with shards of glass which cut him on his arm, neck and face. Mr Wingfield also suffered facial burns, and his wife, Rosemary, who was in the room, incurred permanent damage to her hearing. Another device injured Maja Kurcwald, a Polish receptionist at Capita, the firm involved in collecting criminal records data and operating the London congestion charge. Explosions followed at Vantis in Wokingham, Berkshire – a firm involved in the administration of speed cameras – and the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority head office in Swansea, where three workers were hurt. A major police investigation was, meanwhile, narrowing in on Cooper. A number of “significant, idiosyncratic similarities” in the devices convinced detectives that they were all the work of “a solitary person”. The trial continues. The charges - Miles Adam Cooper, 27, of Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire, faces eight charges of causing bodily injury by means of an explosive device contrary to the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 He faces two charges of using an explosive substance with intent to disable, contrary to the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; one charge of making explosives and one charge of possessing explosives, both contrary to the Explosive Substances Act 1883. - The charges relate to a series of letter bombings: January 18 : a device explodes at Orchid Cellmark, Abingdon, Oxon and two packages were sent to LGC Forensics, Culham, Oxon and the Forensic Science Service, Birmingham. February 3 : a package explodes at the home address of the owner of a security firm in Folkestone, Kent. February 5 : device explodes at the London offices of Capita, the firm which manages data for the Criminal Records Bureau and the London Congestion Charge. February 6 : a bomb goes off at the offices of Vantis, Wokingham, Berkshire, which is involved in speed camera administration. February 7 : three people hurt when a letter bomb explodes at the offices of the DVLA in Swansea, south Wales. February 19 : three improvised explosive devices were discovered when police raided Mr Cooper's home; the bombs contained potassium chlorate, percholate, magnesium, silicon, iron, phosphate and sulphur 25 Sep 2007, Times Online Accused's home a 'bomb factory' A primary school caretaker accused of injuring eight people in a letter bomb campaign had a bedroom like a "bomb factory", Oxford Crown Court has heard. When officers arrested Miles Cooper, 27, at his home in Cambridge, they found three more devices assembled and packaged, said John Price, prosecuting. He said references to animal rights on envelopes may have been a smokescreen. Mr Cooper denies charges relating to sending letter bombs to addresses across Britain in January and February. Defence barrister Michael Wolkind QC told the jury Mr Cooper did not deny sending the devices but said he was not responsible for the injuries caused. He sent them because "of an overbearing and over-intrusive surveillance society," Mr Wolkind said. Mr Price told the court the alleged letter bomb campaign had caused widespread public alarm and sparked a large-scale police investigation. He said receptionist Michelle Evans, of Orchid Cellmark, a company which processes DNA samples, was among the first on the receiving end of the letter bombs. She had been opening the post on 18 January, as she did every morning, when she came across a "light, spongy" envelope, he said. There was a very loud bang and, as a result of the shock, she dropped the envelope and let out a shriek John Price, prosecuting Miss Evans opened the envelope with a letter knife and tried to pull out the piece of paper she found inside, the jury heard, but it appeared trapped in the fold. "She held it at arm's length and tugged at the piece of paper, whereupon the envelope exploded," said Mr Price. "There was a very loud bang and, as a result of the shock, she dropped the envelope and let out a shriek." Animal rights Mr Price said the envelope bore the words "Dr Barry Horne, RIP" - the name of a "notorious animal rights terrorist" who died on a hunger strike. It also included the address of the Cambridge Labour Party office and a small Animal Liberation Front (ALF) logo. Mr Price said the bomb squad found the remnants of a small explosive device - "the first of a series of similar devices to be received in the post over the course of that day". On the same day, LGC Forensics in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham, received similar devices in the post. Another device was addressed to Alpha Security, sent to the company's boss at his home address in Kent. The charges, which Mr Cooper denies, are: Using an explosive to cause injury to Michelle Evans at Orchid Cellmark, which processes DNA samples, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on 18 January Sending an explosive substance to LGC Forensics in Abingdon, and to Forensic Science Service in Birmingham Causing injury to Michael and Rosemary Wingfield at an address in Folkestone, Kent, on 3 February Causing injury to Maja Kurcwald at the London offices of Capita, which deals with criminal records and London's congestion charge, on 5 February Causing injury to Richard Gorringe at Vantis, which manufactures speed cameras, in Wokingham, Berkshire, on 6 February Causing injury to Karen Andrews, Jean Porter and Christopher Phillips at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea on 7 February Making an explosive substance Possessing an explosive substance 25 Sep 2007, BBC See an image of how a party popper would easily be seen with a Scanmax x-ray scanner DVLA letter bomb woman 'shunned' A woman who opened a letter bomb was shunned by colleagues who were also hurt in the blast, a court has heard. Karen Andrews opened the envelope at the DVLA headquarters in Swansea on 7 February after a spate of similar attacks across the country. Mrs Andrews told Oxford Crown Court some colleagues blamed her and refused to work with her after the incident. Miles Cooper, 27, from Cambridge, denies 12 charges related to letter bomb attacks in January and February. Mr Cooper allegedly sent seven letter bombs, five of which exploded, injuring eight people. The locations were Abingdon in Oxfordshire, Culham near Abingdon, Birmingham, Folkestone in Kent, Victoria in central London, Wokingham in Berkshire, and Swansea. 'Just joking' Mrs Andrews told the court that, as she opened the envelope, she joked: "Do we think this is suspicious?" She added: "I was just joking. It was because it was a Jiffy bag and because of what had been on the news." She opened an envelope inside the original package and saw a bright flash and heard a very loud bang. Mrs Andrews said she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and permanent tinnitus, and is left with a large scar on her upper chest from stitches. She told the court: "I've been forced out of my department because some colleagues refuse to work with me. "One manager even wanted me to apologise to people for what I did that day." 'Blacked out' The court also heard from Richard Gorringe, of accountancy firm Vantis in Wokingham, Berkshire, who opened a letter sent to safety camera manufacturer Speed Check. He said: "I opened the inside envelope but then things got a bit blurry for me. "When I pulled it out, I assume that's when it exploded and I think I blacked out a bit. "When I came to, there was a loud ringing in my ears and my vision was a bit blurry." Mr Gorringe received injuries to his hands which prevented him playing golf for three months. The case continues. 25 Sep, 2007, BBC Police visit car nail-bomb school Parents taking their children to a Merseyside primary school were met by police at the gates following an explosion inside a teacher's car. The security operation was taking place at Runnymede St Edward's School in West Derby, Liverpool, after a nail bomb exploded inside a car on Friday. Police said the bomb was an "improvised firework-type device" and was in a Nissan Micra saloon near the school. Detectives have yet to identity a motive for the "despicable" offence. As parents arrived with their children, police stopped cars and talked to families in a bid to reassure people and appeal for witnesses. Superintendent Ian Pilling said: "This is an extremely unusual offence and I would like to reassure the public that it appears to be an isolated incident. "This type of offence is despicable, particularly as it was close to a school. "At the time this incident took place there may have been parents in the area who had arrived early to pick their children up." Police say two men were seen close to the school grounds at the time of blast and it was lucky no-one was killed or seriously injured. 24, Sep 2006 BBC 'Nail bomb' explodes outside Liverpool school An explosive device, thought to be a nail bomb, exploded outside a Liverpool school today while hundreds of children were in the building. Police said the “despicable” attack appeared to be timed to coincide with the end of the school day. The bomb exploded underneath a teacher's vehicle in the car park of St Edward's College, police are hunting for a man seen running away from the school. Nobody was injured by the explosion that was detonated shortly before 3pm, just 10 minutes before the children were due to leave for the day. The independent Christian school, who's motto is “Courage through faith”, was fully evacuated after the explosion. Superintendent Ian Pilling said: “This was a despicable offence. Children were in the process of leaving, nobody was killed or injured but that was down to good luck. Certainly from what I have seen anybody in the vicinity of the vehicle could have been injured or killed. "This is an extremely unusual offence and I would like to reassure the public that it appears to be an isolated incident. We will do our utmost bring the offender to justice." St Edward's College is a voluntary aided faith school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has around 1280 students including the brother of Colleen McLoughlin, who is engaged to Wayne Rooney. The small bomb, which police suspect was an improvised device, exploded beneath a silver saloon belonging to a teacher. The interior of the car was extensively damaged and the windows were smashed. Forensic teams are at the scene, carrying out a finger-tip search of the area. Police are studying CCTV footage taken outside the school and they are appealing for parents collecting their children, or members of the public who might have seen anything suspicious, to contact officers. Damon Younis, 38, who lives next to the school, said: “There was a bomb, it was a nail bomb. I don't think anyone was injured. The car was at the entrance to the school and one police car has arrived.” Merseyside police were called to a school in West Derby after Merseyside Fire Service attended a report of a vehicle on fire. On arrival officers found that the car had been bombed. 21 Sep 2007, Times Online 3Com Investor (Bishop Bomber) Charged With Threatening To Bomb Investment Firms An Iowa man faces 15 federal charges for allegedly sending threatening letters and pipe bombs to coerce investment firms into manipulating the stock price of networking company 3Com. Federal prosecutors charged a 3Com Corp. investor, who called himself The Bishop, with threatening to bomb investment firms if they didn't inflate the networking company's stock. John P. Tomkins, 42, of Dubuque , Iowa , faces 15 charges -- 10 counts of securities fraud, two counts of mailing a threatening communication with intent to extort, two counts of possession of an unregistered destructive device, and one count of using a destructive device while committing a violent crime. A Chicago grand jury handed down the indictment this week in connection with a two-year securities fraud scheme that allegedly involved sending 17 threatening letters and two pipe bombs devices to investment companies as far back as the spring of 2005. None of the securities firms that were threatened complied with the alleged demands, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. If convicted, using a destructive device during a violent crime carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. Tompkins faces a 260-year sentence on the other combined charges. Tomkins was working as a machinist at a Dubuque manufacturing company when he was arrested on April 25, according to an advisory from the U.S. Attorney's Office. He has been detained in federal custody in Chicago since then. Tomkins reportedly had been a substitute rural letter carrier who worked weekends for the U.S. Postal Service, but he was no longer employed by the Postal Service when the explosive devices were sent. Prosecutors contend that Tomkins was trying to coerce third-party investors and executives to manipulate the common stock of two companies to trade at artificially high prices, inflating the value of Tomkins' investments in them. Tomkins allegedly bought common stock and call option stock contracts for 3Com and Navarre Corp., a publicly-traded multimedia and home entertainment company. The government contends he intended to sell the stock and sell or exercise the options contracts when the market price was artificially raised in compliance with his demands. Tomkins allegedly sent a total of 17 extortion letters and two explosive devices, generally to senior executives at investment firms that traded in the national securities markets and exercised investment discretion over assets entrusted to their management. The defendant allegedly sent out two packages that contained non-working pipe bombs. The firing circuits were not fully connected. The U.S. Attorney's office reported that if a partially disconnected wire had been connected to the battery in each device, the bomb would have exploded, causing property damage and serious injury or death to anyone near the explosion. The indictment alleges that each package held a letter, saying in part: "[t]he only reason you are still alive is because I did not attach one wire." The letters also warned "if you decide you want to keep the people around you safe, you will do as I say." The letters also demanded that there be a rally in the stock price of Navarre over three consecutive days in early February and setting minimum closing prices that escalated each day. The indictment also charged that other letters threatened violence, including death and kidnapping, if the price of 3Com stock was not manipulated. One letter allegedly included a picture of a company employee's home, along with a note that read, "Do you know who lives here? I do." 20 Sep 2007, Information Week Postcards Used in Florida School Bomb Threats The Marion County Sheriff's Office today released several postcards that had been mailed to schools last Monday and appeared to threaten a terrorist attack on Sept. 11. "At this point we've worked just about all the leads we have," sheriff's Maj. Terry Bovaird said. Now investigators are looking to the public for help. He hopes someone will recognize the writing or the postcards themselves. The Sheriff's Office also announced a $10,000 reward being offered by the U.S. Postal Service. Seven of nine postcards were released. They had been sent to the School Board office, the Marion Technical Insitute and Belleview, Dunnellon, Forest, North Marion and Vanguard high schools. All contain a hand-drawn cartoon apparently showing a building blowing up and dead bodies strewn around it. Threatening postcards had also been addressed to West Port and Lake Weir high schools. "Other notable characteristics ... are how the writer crossed the numbers seven and attached a suffix to the address," a Sheriff's Office news release states. "Six out of the nine postcards spell out 'Jihad' correctly, while the others are incorrect." "Please take time to closely examine these postcards to see if you recognize any of the characteristics which may lead detectives to the person responsible for mailing these bomb threats," a Sheriff's Office news release states. 17 Sep 2007, Ocala Star Banner Disgruntled Employee Jailed for Sending Anthrax Threats A disgruntled former employee sent a terrifying hoax letter through the post to his HR manager and another one to the manager's elderly mother, both containing threats and white powder which he claimed might be deadly anthrax, a court heard yesterday. Gorleston lifeboatman Jonathan Rhodes, 37, sent the letters in revenge after facing disciplinary action for breaking the strict no alcohol rule while working at a naval base in Egypt for Gulf offshore company. Jude Durr, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said that under the company's disciplinary procedure Rhodes was due to lose his job and after finding out the address, in Aberdeen, of his HR manager's mother he sent her the threatening letter which also contained the white powder. As well as making a number of threats against her safety the envelope contained white powder and he wrote: “Is this anthrax. It might be. It might be not.” He ended the note telling her she would die. He also sent a similiar note to the offices of his HR manager also containing white powder and telling him to resign from his job or face further threats. Rhodes , of Trinity Avenue , Gorleston, admitted carrying out the hoax involving a noxious substance and was jailed for 12 months. Judge Simon Barham said: “You took against the HR manager and found out where his mother lived and sent her the letter and then a letter to him. Both letters contained a powder and each letter said the powder could be anthrax.” He said each of the letters also contained a lot of “deeply unpleasant” material. He added: “This was no doubt deeply distressing quite apart from the hoax. The letters were frightening and intimidating and took some planning by you. It was not one letter sent out but two and one to an old lady.” Jonathan Morgans, in mitigation, said that no one getting one of the hoax letters believed the powder to be anthrax although the content of the notes was upsetting. He added: “They are not fooled by the hoax. It is a hoax which no one believed.” He said at the time Rhodes was extremely depressed because of the situation and had been drinking, adding: “He has since obtained work again and has stopped drinking completely.” He said Rhodes also worked for Gorleston lifeboat and had been responsible as part of the crew for saving the lives of eight people.” What occurred in this offence was completely out of character. 15 Sep 2007, Norfolk Daily Press Suspect package found at call centre A suspect package containing white powder has been sent to the director of one of Preston's biggest employers. Police and firefighters were called to the Homeserve call centre, on Caxton Road, Fulwood, Preston, shortly after noon on Wednesday after the package arrived through the post. It turned out the powder was baby milk powder and detectives believe it was "a prank". A police spokesman said: "The envelope containing the powder was addressed to a director of the company, although it was quickly identified as not being anything suspicious. "There was no evacuation from the building and the nature of the substance was quickly discovered." An ambulance crew was also called to the incident, but no medical attention was required. Emergency insurance providers Homeserve employs more than 1,000 people in its call centre and recently announced plans to take on an extra 500 staff. A Homeserve spokesman said the powder had been taken away for analysing by police. She said: "Getting the police and fire service involved is standard procedure for an incident like this, but the alert was over very quickly and it is business as usual." 13 Sep 2007, Lancs Evening Post Spanish Judge Jails Man for Postal Bomb Spain's National Court anti-terror specialist judge Baltasar Garzon on Tuesday ordered a suspected Basque separatist jailed for allegedly belonging to a terrorist organization. In a statement published by the court, Garzon said Juan Mari Olano would be jailed pending prosecution for belonging to the Basque separatist group ETA and inciting sabotage and public disorder. Olano was one of nine demonstrators arrested in the Basque city of San Sebastian on Sunday during violent clashes with riot police. Olano and scores of protesters had tried to hold what was deemed an illegal rally in support of ETA prisoners. In a separate case, the court condemned Jose Maria Arregi Erostarbe to 26 years, eight months in prison for the attempted murder of a world's fair official in 1990. The court found that a parcel bomb mailed by Arregi Erostarbe to Manuel Olivencia, an official of Expo-92 world's fair in Seville , had exploded and injured two fair workers. Wrapping material around the bomb carried Arregi Erostarbe's fingerprints, the court said in its judgment. The court said Arregi Erostarbe, alias 'Fiti,' was an active member of ETA at the time the bomb was mailed. ETA, whose name stands for Basque Homeland and Freedom, has waged a violent, explosion-filled campaign for an independent Basque state since the late 1960s. More than 800 people have been killed by ETA attacks. 11 Sep 2007, AP Hoax Mailed to Director of UK Company A suspect package containing white powder has been sent to the director of one of Preston's biggest employers. Police and firefighters were called to the Homeserve call centre, on Caxton Road, Fulwood, Preston, shortly after noon on Wednesday after the package arrived through the post. It turned out the powder was baby milk powder and detectives believe it was "a prank". A police spokesman said: "The envelope containing the powder was addressed to a director of the company, although it was quickly identified as not being anything suspicious. "There was no evacuation from the building and the nature of the substance was quickly discovered." An ambulance crew was also called to the incident, but no medical attention was required. Emergency insurance providers Homeserve employs more than 1,000 people in its call centre and recently announced plans to take on an extra 500 staff. A Homeserve spokesman said the powder had been taken away for analysis by police. She said: "Getting the police and fire service involved is standard procedure for an incident like this, but the alert was over very quickly and it is business as usual." 12 Sept 2007, Lancashire Evening Post ETA targets government building in failed car bomb Spanish security forces defused Monday an ETA car bomb targeting a government building, officials said, the day after the armed Basque separatist group warned it would "keep striking." "Fortunately ETA failed with their bomb, which did not explode because of a malfunction," Jose Antonio Ulecia, the top official for the northern Rioja region where the bomb was planted, was quoted as saying by La Rioja radio. A small explosion, apparently caused by a faulty detonator, occurred late Sunday near the defence ministry offices in Logrono, the capital of Rioja, national radio reported. Nobody was hurt. Security services called to the scene found a car packed with "about 80 kilos (180 pounds) of explosives", Ulecia said, adding that they managed to defuse the bomb at about 7:30 am (0530 GMT) Monday. A person claiming to speak for ETA had shortly before the blast called the Basque-language daily Gara to warn about the bomb, national radio reported. ETA, which is blamed for the deaths of 819 people in its 39-year drive for an independent Basque homeland, had Sunday issued a statement vowing to press on with "striking at Spanish state structures on all fronts." The statement -- its first since calling off a ceasefire on June 5 -- was published in Gara and another Basque newspaper, Berria, which often act as the group's mouthpieces. ETA said attacks against the Spanish government would continue until "there are democratic conditions which allow political schemes to be protected." This was taken as a reference to its demands for self-determination in the Basque regions of northern Spain and southwestern France. ETA also claimed responsibility for a small blast that occurred as the Tour de France bicycle race went through the northern town of Navarro on July 25, and last month's attack on a police barracks in the northern town of Durango. 10 Sep 2007, AFP British Company Urges Financial Services Industry to Resist Animal Rights Threats The head of a British business targeted relentlessly by animal rights extremists has called on the financial services industry to stop treating his company as “radioactive”. Brian Cass, managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences, urged banks, insurers, auditors and the financial markets to shrug off fears of intimidation and have the courage to work with his company and others involved in the development of medicines. His comments come as the UK 's largest case against individuals alleged to have conspired to blackmail suppliers to HLS, a large clinical research group that tests medicines on animals, moves towards trial amid a decline in intimidation by activists. “There is still a perception in the financial community that we are radioactive,” said Mr Cass. “We don't have any special difficulties and it's mostly business as usual for us, but the message of success still hasn't [reached] the hierarchy.” Mr Cass said he regretted the reluctance of many pharmaceutical companies to stand up and say that they used HLS as an essential part of the process of developing life-saving medicines. But he added that it should be possible to use UK companies legislation in order to conceal the identity of auditors working with animal testing businesses for their own protection, in the same way in which the home addresses of company directors can be kept confidential. HLS had to create its own in-house delivery, security, catering and laundry services as outside suppliers cancelled contracts following years of intimidation. It had to negotiate banking and insurance facilities through the government and secure an exemption from standard auditing requirements. Mr Cass said the company had largely adapted to the extra costs such measures imposed, with the greatest being the cost of fundraising and borrowing. The company faced difficulties in finding a stockbroker and seeking a quotation, but at the end of last year managed to obtain a New York Stock Exchange Arca listing under the name Life Sciences Research. Since then, said Mr Cass, the company's share performance had been strong. Mr Cass also managed last month to negotiate a significant reduction in the size and interest rate charged on $60m (£29.9m) in outstanding bank loans with a non-UK financial institution that he refused to name. Regulatory filings show the US company had 47 clients placing orders for more than $1m last year, and reported gross profits up 5 per cent to $50m on revenues of $192m. He said the number of animals used in testing by the pharmaceutical industry was declining, and that fewer than 2 per cent of its tests were on dogs or primates, with the vast majority on rats and mice. 16 Sep 2007, Financial Times Executive injured when letter bomb explodes AN executive of the multinational food giant Nestle was seriously wounded when a letter bomb exploded in his hands at the firm's base near the Argentine capital Buenos Aires today. Cosme Veneziale, 48, a manager in the firm's technical department at the office, was injured by the explosion which was triggered when he tried to open a package containing a book which had been mailed to him. A police source said investigators were not ruling out possible personal motives for the attack, or ones linked to the Swiss-based company, one of the biggest makers of food products in the world. 6 Sep 2007, Herald Sun German Terror Plot Posed 'Imminent Threat' German authorities have said three terror suspects planned "massive" bomb attacks on an airport and US military base in the country. German Federal Prosecutor Monika Harms said the three had procured 700kg of hydrogen peroxide for making explosives. "This is a good day for security in Germany," she said. The head of Germany's Federal Crime Office, Joerg Ziercke, told a news conference the hydrogen peroxide could have been mixed with other substances to produce bombs more powerful than those used in the London and Madrid bombings. Prosecutors said the suspects, two Germans and a Turk, had trained at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union and formed a German cell of the group. Germany's defence minister Franz Josef Jung said the plot posed "an imminent threat" to Frankfurt's international airport and the American base in Ramstein. The three suspects appeared before judges at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe after being arrested yesterday. American officials had warned of the possibility of a terrorist attack, and security measures have been raised. Navy Captain Jeff Gradeck, a spokesman for the US military's European Command in Stuttgart said: "We extend our gratitude to Germany for their efforts in protecting us." Germany, which did not send troops to Iraq, has largely been spared atrocities like the train and subway bombings in London and Madrid. However, its involvement in the attempt to stabilise Afghanistan against Islamic insurgents has led to fears it may be targeted. In July 2006, two gas bombs were placed on commuter trains but did not explode and it is thought this was motivated by anger over cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper. Several suspects are on trial in Lebanon, and a Lebanese man has been charged in Germany. Frankfurt airport is continental Europe's busiest, and the air base at Ramstein is a major transport hub for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 5 Sep 2007, At least two killed in bomb blasts around Nepal's capital At least two people were killed and many more injured in five bomb blasts around Kathmandu on Sunday, a senior police officer said. Deputy superintendent Prajit K.C. said at least 15 people had been wounded, three of them critically, in the blasts, which occurred just minutes apart. "High explosive devices were used. We've just begun our investigations and we have no idea who may have done this," said Sudip Giri, another deputy superintendent with the Kathmandu police. One of the blasts was outside a university campus and another was at a bus stand in a busy part of the city centre, Giri said. The last reported bomb attack in Kathmandu was at a police post in April 2006, just before the former rebel Maoists entered a landmark peace deal with the government after a decade of war against the monarchy. Political parties formed a new government in April 2006 after King Gyanendra, a constitutional monarch, ended 14 months of direct rule. The rebels and the new government reached a pact in November that paved the way for the Maoists to join parliament in early 2007. Both parties have pledged to campaign in polls scheduled for late November to elect a constituent assembly and rewrite the constitution, including the role of the monarchy. 2 Sep 2007, AP Package sparks street closures

A Suspicious package on a bus sparked a bomb scare in Cheltenham. Dozens of people were evacuated and town centre traffic was thrown into chaos after passengers saw a package with wires sticking out and a mobile phone attached. They took it off the bus and called the police, who evacuated the area. The lower High Street, Ambrose Street, Clarence Street, Henrietta Street and St James Street were all closed. People were evacuated from businesses and homes as Army bomb disposal experts from Ashchurch moved in. Staff from the Colour Company were the first to be evacuated as the package was left outside the shop. Ashley Wainwright, 28, who runs the business, said: " We were told to move away from the windows and go out the back." At 4.20pm yesterday the package was blown up in a controlled explosion. Katie Matthews, from Lloyds Pharmacy in the High Street, said: "We evacuated even though the police didn't tell us to. We saw people standing about in front of the shop when they first blocked the road." Even though Henrietta Street was closed, Brian Dyer's Flower and Garden Shop remained open and wasn't evacuated. He said: "They wouldn't let people down the road so I took flowers to customers at the end of the road." Roads reopened at 6pm, although parts of the lower High Street stayed sealed off A police spokesman said: "We examined the device and found it to be harmless."

More bomb threats phoned to stores

Four more bomb threats forced evacuations at stores in northeast Ohio early Friday, adding to a series of similar threats across the country this week, the FBI said.

The latest threats were phoned in to a Wal-Mart in Mentor and Giant Eagle grocery stores in Mentor, Mentor-on-the-Lake and Green, authorities said. The stores were temporarily evacuated, but each reopened within three hours after police searches turned up nothing.

"We believe these are all tied into the same individual or group of individuals that are doing this all over the United States," FBI special agent Scott Wilson said.

The FBI and police said Wednesday they were investigating bomb threats at more than 15 stores in at least 11 states. The majority of the calls involve an extortion attempt, and the threats appear to be coming from overseas, Wilson said.

"We have some strong investigative leads," he said.

31 Aug 2007, AP

Bomb found at Mexico City tower

More than 10,000 people were evacuated Thursday from Latin America's tallest building where police found a small handmade bomb inside a car parked in the garage, authorities said.

A bomb squad retrieved the device -- consisting of three metal tubes filled with gunpowder, cables and a cell phone, all tied together with tape -- from the 740-foot (225-meter) Torre Mayor on Mexico City's main Reforma avenue, the city's Public Security Department said in a news release.

Had the device exploded, damage would have been limited mostly to the car, the department said.

The federal Attorney General's Office is investigating the incident but there were no initial claims of responsibility.

An unidentified person called one of the tower's offices to warn that a bomb had been placed inside a car on one of the building's 13 parking levels. The car was reported stolen, authorities said.

A total of 10,800 people were evacuated from the 55-floor building, which opened in 2003

White Powder' Scare Cost Connecticut Agencies $50G

The cost of the public safety response to Thursday's "white powder" scare that closed the Ikea store on Sargent Drive for four hours was more than $50,000, a city spokeswoman said Monday.

The incident drew dozens of New Haven and state police officers, firefighters, health department workers, FBI agents and other personnel from New Haven and neighboring communities, as well as special equipment from the U.S. Postal Service's Wallingford processing center, which authorities say is the only place in the state that has such equipment.

It prompted the evacuation of Ikea at about 5 p.m. and kept it closed until the next morning — but the "white powder" turned out to be flour used to mark a running trail by local members of the international Hash House Harriers running club.

The group holds runs with similar trails all over the world, including New York City , Washington , D.C., and Baghdad .

"There's not an exact number yet" for the total cost of the response "but we're looking at upwards of $50,000," said Jessica Mayorga, spokeswoman for the Police Department and Mayor John DeStefano Jr.

On Friday, Mayorga said officials were inclined to seek restitution from the two "hashers" who were charged with a felony in the case. She said after a meeting Monday on the case that no determination was made on whether to seek restitution.

"That's something for the prosecutor to decide," she said.

New Haven State 's Attorney Michael Dearington has said that he and his staff "will review all the information and act accordingly."

Dr. Daniel Salchow, 37, who is an ophthalmologist at Yale-New Haven Hospital , and his sister, Dorothee Salchow, 31, a lawyer visiting from Hamburg , Germany , both were charged with first-degree breach of peace, a felony. Their lawyer, Michael Jefferson, has pointed out that the charge applies when a defendant intentionally causes alarm or risk by placing a material such as a hazardous substance in a public place.

"One thing that should be clear is that what occurred was absent of malice and ... it was a misunderstanding," Jefferson said Monday. "One could even argue, and we take the position, that it was somewhat of an overreaction on the part of the authorities who made the decision to arrest somebody.

"My clients understand that we live in a post-9/11 world," Jefferson added. But he also pointed out that they have "hashed" in the past in places such as Washington and New York City , within sight of Ground Zero, without incident.

"In the minds of reasonable people, reason will prevail ... and I'm hopeful that reasonable minds will come to a conclusion that the arrests should never had taken place," he said.

Daniel Salchow said Friday that he is a German citizen, he and his wife moved to New Haven two months ago and had hoped the "hashing" game would be a way to make friends.

"I deeply regret if I, without intention, scared somebody or caused commotion," he said. "But I don't think we should have been charged with anything. ... All we wanted to do was put down a running trail."

Chief of Police Francisco Ortiz Jr., in a statement relayed through Mayorga, said, "We stand by the fact that we did the right thing." He added, "We have an obligation to look out for the best interests of the people of New Haven and therefore we won't take situations like this lightly."

Ikea store manager Gail Franc would not reveal the cost of the evacuation and store closure, which came during a prime back-to-school shopping week.

"We lost the equivalent of a half a day's business," she said.

Things were back to normal the next day, however, and while Ikea "did a few free home deliveries and gave out a few free meal coupons" to customers who had to come back a second time, "it wasn't a huge problem for us," she said.

28 Aug 2007, New Haven Register

NYC Police Investigating Reports of White Powder Mailed to Financial Firms

New York police said on Tuesday they were investigating suspicious mailings of white powdery substances received by several financial companies in New York City , a police spokesman said.

"None of the material tested so far has tested positive for any dangerous substance, and was found in some instances to be flour or corn starch," said police spokesman Paul Browne.

He said envelopes containing Zip-lock bags with the powder inside and greeting cards without a message and postmarked from Hartford , Connecticut were sent to the companies on Monday and Tuesday. He did not name the companies that received the mailings.

In 2001, powdery anthrax sent in letters to news organizations and government offices in New York , Florida , Washington and elsewhere killed five people and made at least 17 people ill.

Suspicious white powders were found in buildings occupied by the Daily News, the Associated Press and The New York Times last year but in each case were found not to be hazardous.

21 Aug 2007, Reuters

Police detonate 3 bombs found in Toronto car

Police technicians have detonated three improvised explosive devices at Toronto's Leslie Street Spit after finding the bombs in the trunk of a car.

Southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway and all lanes of the Gardiner Expressway -- both major arteries in and out of the city's downtown core -- were reopened after police shut down traffic to transport the explosives.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Deputy Police Chief Tony Warr said the three bombs were each about 35 centimetres long.

Police say the three explosives are linked to the arrest of a 37-year-old man taken into custody Thursday night. The man is the subject of an ongoing investigation into letter bombs mailed to two residences in Toronto and one in Guelph.

The bombs were discovered in the trunk of the man's silver sedan, Warr confirmed at an earlier news conference Friday morning.

The car was parked at an Esso gas station near Overlea Boulevard near Thorncliffe Park Drive.

Warr said police believe the three letter bomb incidents and the explosives found in the vehicle, are linked.

The motive behind the letter bombs appears to be personal between the suspect and the recipients, Warr said.

Police have identified the man arrested on Thursday night as Adel Arnaout.

Arnaoult has been charged with:

• Three counts of attempted murder;

• Three counts of intending to cause explosion;

• One count of possessing explosives for unlawful purposes.

Toronto police recently asked the public to closely scrutinize any suspicious packages they received in the mail after two letter bombs were received by city residents.

On Aug. 19, a real estate lawyer living in the city's Sheppard Avenue and Yonge Street area received an envelope that smelled of petroleum. The lawyer alerted police and the package was detonated safely.

About a week earlier, a resident of the city's east end, near Victoria Park Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East, received a bubble-wrapped envelope that also contained a petroleum-like liquid. A male resident was injured when he tried to open the package and it exploded in his hands.

Both packages were 21.6 cm by 27.9 cm and each had properly addressed courier receipts attached. They were also both rigged to explode when opened. The courier company has said it did not send the packages.

A third package was mailed to a residence of Guelph.

Car bombs blamed on ETA

At 0130 hrs this morning a car bomb exploded outside a police barracks in Durango, 30 miles south of Bilbao. An hour later a second bomb exploded at nearby Amorebieta Nobody has claimed responsibility for the devices but Spanish officials have attributed them to ETA. Security forces in Spain and France have been on high alert since ETA called off its 15 month ceasefire in June. Several ETA members have been arrested recently and caches of explosives recovered. ETA do not pose a direct threat to the UK but in the past British nationals have been caught up in ETA bombing campaigns targeting popular tourist resorts.

24 August 2007

Suspicious Substance Addressed to Tax Offices Sparks Security Alert in UK

A mysterious substance which sparked a security alert at the DVLA office in Ipswich turned out to be sand.

Staff were evacuated from St Clare House building in Grey Friar's Road after a suspect package was found addressed to the Inland Revenue, which is also based in the building.

Some employees were kept in isolation while tests were carried out to determine what the powder was, in case they had come in contact with the substance.

A security guard spotted the powder and the alarm was raised at around 7.40am today.

Police put a cordon in place while fire and ambulance services were on standby following the alert.

However, tests confirmed the substance was merely sand.

A spokesman from the DVLA said: “I am able to confirm that there was suspicious package addressed to the Inland Revenue this morning.

“As DVLA shares the building with the Inland Revenue the local office was closed between 9am and 10.15am .”

A spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs said that a security guard at St Clare House noticed a substance on the floor where the post had been delivered.

He said: “In line with our procedures this area of the building was closed and staff were not allowed to enter or leave the building.

“The police were called and the substance was found to be sand.

“Normal service was restored as soon as possible at around 9.45am .”

7 August 2007, East Anglian Daily Times

Anthrax Scare Closes 3 D.C. Subway Stations

A suspicious package that ended up containing paper and cardboard led authorities to briefly close three subway stations near downtown as the afternoon rush hour began, officials said.

The Metro system's Dupont Circle station was the first to close at about 3 p.m. after a suspicious brown box was found on a train, authorities said.

The stations at Woodley Park and Cleveland Park also were closed so trains could turn around at another station, Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said. The system was providing shuttle bus service.

The stations reopened at about 5 p.m. after bomb technicians destroyed the box with a water cannon, Asato said.

8 August 2007, AP

Mail With Suspicious Powder Causes Alert at Local Council in UK

An entrance of Swindon Council's Wat Tyler House had to be closed off after a suspicious powder was found.

A package intended for a northern firm that had been mistakenly delivered to the council was accidentally opened on Tuesday at about midday .

There was a powder inside and so police were called in, and the back entrance leading to Beckhampton Street and the rose garden was shut, although it did not affect the front part of the building.

After investigation it was discovered that the substance was iron filings and the building was back to normal by 3pm .

9 August 2007, Gazette & Herald

Letter Claims Teens Are Behind Goldman-Sachs Threat Letters

A new letter purportedly written by the author of terrorist threats against Goldman Sachs claims the whole thing was a hoax "conceived by three misguided teenagers."

The four-page letter, hand-printed in red ink on lined paper just like the original batch of 40 letters mailed to media outlets around the country in June, was sent to a Daily News reporter last month and immediately turned over to federal investigators.

An FBI spokesman said yesterday that the new letter is still undergoing analysis at the agency's lab in Quantico , Va. , but it appeared to contain similarities to the original threats.

"The investigators believe the latest letter may have been written by the same person, but they're not convinced the underlying story in the letter is the truth," said spokesman James Margolin. The story revealed in the latest missive is nearly as bizarre as the warning sent out in the original letters.

Those read: "Goldman Sachs. Hundreds will die. We are inside. You cannot stop us." They were signed "A.Q. U.S.A. "

The new letter begins: "This letter is being dictated to and written by our daughter so that you can compare her printing to that on the infamous Goldman Sachs letters."

"These letters were not the work of criminals or worse," it continues. "They were conceived and mailed out by three misguided teenagers, two boys and one girl. ... The girl was chosen to print the letters because her printing style was deemed 'prettier.'"

The new letter says that one teen's parents had a "financial beef" with Goldman and the kids thought it would be "funny and creative" to do the mailing.

Those allegedly responsible for the original batch of letters said they didn't expect that days later there would be terrorist attacks in Britain .

"We are now sitting here, six parents and three kids, scared out of our wits, since this idiotic, childish 'plot' unfortunately seems to have coincided with the horrendous events in England and Scotland and a renewal of fears of similar events in the U.S.," the letter states.

Investigators' interest was piqued by the claim that the letters were wiped with furniture polish to erase forensic evidence, which was confirmed bytests.

"We are extremely confident that it is only a matter of time until the individual responsible for sending the threat letters is apprehended," said Joseph Demarest of the FBI's counterterrorism division in New York .

The new letter says the teens bought supplies from a discount store, Staples and stationery stores in Westchester and Connecticut and on Long Island .

It also states the threats were mailed from random locations in Queens and the Bronx to newspaper addresses obtained at a public library.

6 August 2007, Daily News

Mail Inspection Leads to Alabama Man's Conviction for Illegal Weapons and Explosives

A 44-year-old Deatsville , AL man entered a guilty plea in federal court last week to charges of possession of firearms by a con­victed felon and possession of four homemade bombs that authorities say were powerful enough to blow a house apart.

United States Magistrate Judge Wallace Capel Jr. ac­cepted the pleas from Adam La­mar Robinson in U.S. District Court, according to a press re­lease from Leura G. Canary. Canary is the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.

According to court records, Robinson had at least four prior felony convictions. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms, including silencers, or ammunition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Verne Speirs said federal au­thorities became interested in Robinson after he ordered a high tech German-made silenc­er through the mail.

A postal security system that X-rays incoming packages from overseas revealed the con­tents of the delivery the Deat­sville man was to receive. The discovery by Chicago postal in­spectors piqued the interest of agents with the Bureau of Alco­hol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex­plosives, he said.

Working in conjunction with the Alabama Bureau of In­vestigation, ATF agents ob­tained a warrant to search the home in which Robinson lived with his wife and teenage son, once the silencer was delivered. Execution of the search war­rant revealed 11 firearms, three homemade silencers and four improvised explosive devices inside the house. The explosive devices were reportedly filled with steel shot and BBs.

Speirs said the homemade bombs were not crude, roughly composed devices. He added that detonation of any one of them could have been devastat­ing to anyone who lived in or around the home.

"An ABI bomb expert told us that they were quality bombs," the AUSA said. "What is scary about the case was that he had the bombs in his home where he lived with his wife and son. They were filled to the brim with explosives and packed with hundreds of steel ball bear­ings and BBs. Had these bombs exploded, they were powerful enough to have blown up the house."

Speirs said Robinson heat-sealed or glued cork around the explosives' housings in order to get the maximum amount of ex­plosives inside the cylinders of the devices.

Among the weapons found in the house was a 37-mmm flare gun that had been modi­fied into a 37-mm shotgun.

"There's nothing like that that could be bought on the mar­ket," he said. "He had modified the flares by keeping the pow­der and packing in steel shot. I would think that would be a powerful weapon."

The federal prosecutor said that ATF and FBI agents consid­ered that Robinson might be part of an organized domestic terrorist cell, but found no evi­dence to support that possibili­ty.

"There was no evidence that they could find that tied him to any hate group or militia group," Speirs said.

Canary said that coopera­tion among the various agen­cies served to keep a dangerous situation from becoming more serious.

"I'm very thankful, very im­pressed by the way the different federal agencies worked togeth­er on this case," she said. "Through this cooperation, they were able to thwart a very dangerous situation."

Robinson faces up to 10 years in prison on each count. No date has been set for sentencing, ac­cording to Canary.

1 August 2007, Prattville Progress

Suspicious Envelope Addressed to Judge Causes Bomb Scare at UK Court

The city's crown court was evacuated yesterday after the discovery of a suspicious envelope in the morning mail sparked a full-scale bomb alert.

As barristers, judges and court staff at Peterborough Crown Court were about to sit for their cases at shortly before 10am yesterday, court officials asked them to leave the building immediately.

It emerged that a white jiffy envelope, addressed to Judge Nicholas Coleman had been found in the postroom early on Monday.

However, when it was delivered to him, Judge Coleman said he had not been expecting it and it was classed as a suspect package.

Police were alerted and they quickly sealed off both entrances to the court, including the underpass at the side of the Magistrate's Court, the car park and the court precincts.

As counsel in their wigs along with around 40 staff and members of the public waited behind the 100-metre police cordon for news, a bomb disposal team from RAF Luffenham arrived on the scene within half and hour.

Painstaking tests were carried out, including an X-ray of the envelope's contents, and it was eventually taken away by police officers.

A spokesman for Her Majesty's Court Service later confirmed that the package – which turned out to be a DVD and a booklet – was harmless and normal court service was resumed by 2pm .

David Marshall (61) from March was waiting to go into the public gallery when he was told to evacuate.

He said: "I looked out of the window and could see police putting cordon tapes around the entrance. About five to 10 minutes later someone said, 'you have got to leave'.

"I walked downstairs and someone set the alarm off.

"We were all moved outside and asked by the court officers to stand well back.

"I've been going to watch court cases for two years and have never seen anything like this.

"It could be nothing, but it's people's lives so they have to take it seriously."

A security guard at the court, who didn't wish to be named, said: "It looked like a used jiffy envelope. It's a secure postbox, in the sense once something's in, you can't get it out, but anyone can put stuff in over the weekend. I saw it in the postroom this morning.

"It was addressed to Judge Nicholas Coleman and looked like it had a videotape in it."

31 July 2007, The Telegraph

Shotgun Cartridges Included In Threat Mail to Malaysian Police Inspector General

Police in Bintulu have intercepted two envelopes containing shotgun cartridges and threatening letters addressed to the Inspector-General of Police and the service centre operated by Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

Police seized the envelopes at the Bintulu post office after postal workers discovered the suspicious-looking mail at about 9.15am yesterday.

Bintulu OCPD Supt Sulaiman Abdul Razak said, police opened the envelopes and found the cartridges and the letters.

“The letters were handwritten and contained two paragraphs of threats. The two letters seem to be from one person,” he said.

“The post office has no CCTV system which is why we could not get any description of who posted the letters,” he told a press conference in Bintulu.

Supt Sulaiman said he had informed Bukit Aman of the incident.

The case has been classified as criminal intimidation.

31 July 2007, The Star

Kansas Man Sentenced for Sending Bomb in Mail

A Jackson County man was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for sending an explosive device through the mail.

In April, a federal jury in Topeka convicted Thomas Guy Caraway, 49, of Delia, on one count of mailing an explosive device and one count of possessing a homemade explosive device during a crime of violence.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Caraway constructed the bomb at his home in Delia and mailed it to his former friend, Daniel A. “Spud” Owens, in Wamego. The package was delivered to Owens' home Jan. 29, 2004 .

When Owens opened the package, the bomb exploded. He was struck by pellets and gunshot, requiring him to seek medical treatment.

26.7.07 The Capital Journal

Letter Bombs Detected at Indian Post Offices

Pune, India-- Just over a month after two parcel bombs were sent to the City post office and the Hinjewadi post office, the postal department had yet another scare on Tuesday, when officials at the General Post Office (GPO) raised an alarm, when a suspicious looking parcel beeped under their “letter bomb detector” and the two telephone numbers given on the parcel turned out to be wrong. The bomb squad of the city police rushed to the spot only to find that the parcel contained only “cellphone and charger”.

Though in the earlier two instances the bombs were not improvised explosive devices as neither had a switch nor a detonator and so it could not have exploded, it nevertheless served as a wake-up call for the post office staff.

On July 13, a parcel bomb had been sent to the City Post Office with a letter that bore the names and contact details of a boy and the girl besides mentioning the name of the firm where the girl worked. Another bomb, accompanied by a letter, had been sent to Cognizant on June 11. Both were diffused by the bomb detection squad of the Police Commissionerate.

With these incidents getting the postal department officials all worked up, the Post Master General (Pune) SC Jarodia wants to install letter bomb detectors in all sensitive post offices of the city. He has requisitioned that Rs 5 lakh to be set aside for this infrastructure by the Directorate of Posts and has shortlisted 20 out of the 100 post offices in the city. A letter bomb detector costs around Rs 20,000.

As of now, there are only three post offices equipped with letter bomb detectors — City Post Office, Pune GPO and the Pune Railway Mail Office. While the existing three letter bomb detectors are fairly old, shaped like a weighing balance, Jarodia has sought the latest models, like those used at airports.

“These are more convenient especially since we receive bulk mail. The latest racquet-shaped bomb detectors are more handy compared to the older models that are very cumbersome,” he said.

Jarodia said the rising incidence of letter bomb scares was putting a lot of pressure on his staff.

He said that the plan is to have letter bomb detectors installed in post offices in Ahmednagar, Solapur and Satara.

25 July 2007, Pune Online

White Powder Causes Panic At U.S. Embassy In Kuwait

Employees at the American embassy in Kuwait on Monday received a parcel containing suspicious white powder, which causes security alarm, the Kuwait 's Arab Times daily reported on Tuesday.

The white power was contained in a package, which was found by security men posted at the South Gate of the embassy. Suspecting that the powder was explosive in nature, they immediately took precautionary steps and informed the Kuwaiti authorities, the daily said.

The American embassy's press attache James Fennell told the daily over the phone that the embassy had taken necessary precautionary measures and nobody was injured in the incident.

"We are coordinating with the concerned Kuwaiti authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the nature of the material," he was quoted as saying.

The embassy remains open for business despite the incident, Fennell said.

Confirming that the package contained suspicious material, a security source said Kuwaiti and American authorities immediately coordinated their efforts to deal with the issue.

American explosive experts were instructed to cooperate with their Kuwaiti counterparts to examine the contents of the parcel.

Kuwait 's national security apparatus, on the other hand, is closely following up the issue to identify the nature of the white powder, the daily said.

24 July 2007, Xinhua

Police Tighten Security Around Austria 's Parliament After Fake Pipe Bomb Found

Police tightened security around the parliament building in Vienna on Sunday, a day after authorities discovered a fake pipe bomb and a rambling letter on the front steps of the complex.

Police stepped up patrols in the area, and officials with the Interior Ministry planned to decide Monday whether further measures would be taken.

«We may need to tighten security even further,» parliament spokesman Gottfried Marckhgott said.

Authorities found the bogus bomb Saturday morning. Investigators said it appeared to have been expertly made, though it contained no explosives, and they were analyzing a letter that claimed: «We do not want to hurt anybody.

Public broadcaster ORF quoted unidentified investigators Sunday as saying the letter, written in flawless German, included vague complaints about Austria's «intolerable» government policies.

Police said they were combing the area for DNA evidence and witnesses. They said the building's security cameras did not appear to have captured the placing of the device on the steps.

22 July 2007, AP

Family Dispute Leads to Sending of Anthrax Threat Letter to Day Care Nursery

A warped mum sent an envelope of white powder to the nursery her sister ran with a note saying: Anthrax — start taking the antibiotics now.

June Pratt, 50, faces jail after admitting causing a chemical scare following a dispute between the two women.

Cops sealed off the nursery fearing a terror alert after the package arrived.

The 34 tots and ten panic-stricken staff were quarantined.

But tests showed the white powder was corn starch.

Pratt was nabbed after her writing was matched to a complaint letter about the nursery she'd sent to education watchdog Ofsted.

JPs in Thanet , Kent , heard how she was angry at sister Sandy Berwick, claiming she did not help look after their mum and dad.

Jim Zacharaias, defending, told the court Pratt didn't think her letter would cause such disruption.

But he added: “It was not particularly sensible, especially in the current climate of terrorism.”

NHS physio Pratt, of Margate , admitted sending a threatening letter to The Elms nursery in Ramsgate.

She was charged under the Malicious Communications Act and faces up to six months' jail when she is sentenced next month. She refused to comment yesterday.

20 July 2007, The Sun

Environmental Extremists Likely to Attack, Says National Intelligence Estimate

The most dangerous domestic terrorists in the United States may have nothing to do with Islam or Iraq but may be little-known extremists who regard violence against animals as akin to violence against people, according to FBI officials.

This week, a declassified portion of the latest National Intelligence Estimate for the United States warned that Americans can expect attacks from these groups within the next three years.

The estimate refers to "single issue" groups that, according to law enforcement, often include radical environmentalist organizations. Among the most visible: the Animal Liberation Front and allied Earth Liberation Front, and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC).

"When they hear 'terrorism' a lot of times people just think al-Qaeda and some of the international extremist groups that pose the real serious risks in national security, and that is not always the case when you're talking about terrorism," said FBI Spokesperson Paul Bresson.

For example, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the arrest of Daniel Andreas San Diego.

San Diego , who has suspected ties to the ALF and SHAC, is accused of bombing two corporate offices in California to protest animal research. The offices belonged to Chiron, a biotechnology firm, and Shaklee, a cosmetics company.

Authorities believe the companies were targeted because of their ties to Huntingdon Life Sciences, a U.K.-based animal-testing laboratory with facilities in the U.S. The attacks in 2003 caused no deaths and minimal damage, but they briefly captured headlines on the West Coast.

Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division John Lewis called the bombings another instance in "a relentless campaign of terror and intimidation" that began in 1999.

"Despite what I've heard and read in the past that this type of activity is on the decline, we don't see it that way," Bresson said. "I'd say it's either stayed the same or slightly increased."

Those close to the animal liberation movements object to being called terrorists. They say the "eco-terror" label is part of a government effort to discredit their message and brand the entire movement as a group of extremists.

"I live in New York City , I watched planes go into buildings," said Camille Hankins, a press officer for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office.

"We saw on the news people jumping off the twin towers, and that's terrorism. Terrorism is not waking up to find an activist on your doorstep calling you a puppy killer. I'm not saying that the latter is pleasant, but it's not terrorism," she said.

Congress in 2006 passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), which according to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works "expands criminal prohibitions against the use of force, violence, and threats involving animal enterprises and increases penalties for violations of these crimes."

Bresson said laws like the AETA will help prosecute those engaged in such activities but added that eliminating the threat is difficult at best.

"You can have a lot of laws on the books and great prosecution strategies, and sometimes it still doesn't preclude individuals from violating the law," he said.

Charles Tilby, captain of the investigations division of the Eugene , Ore. , Police Department, said the violent movement began in the 1980s when people in political organizations became dissatisfied with the speed of changes in public perception and policy.

He said this was the start of what is now a justification of criminal activity to prompt political change.

The movement began with low-level criminal activity such as trespassing and has escalated to the large-scale property damage and death threats some animal researchers and their affiliates are seeing today.

For the past five or six years, Tilby said, environmental political anarchist groups have been gradually realizing that in order to effect change, "the focus had to move away from property damage more toward terrorizing people."

Dr. Jerry Vlasak, also of the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, said the shift in philosophy was a natural progression for a movement being forced underground. He said legislation like the AETA made it more difficult for "above ground" animal liberation groups to make their message heard.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable," he said, quoting President John F. Kennedy.

Vlasak said the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were affecting "legitimate" animal liberation organizations but that their efforts to shut down violent groups and individual's movements were ineffectual.

"There have been thousands of underground direct actions in the United States in the last 15-20 years and very few of those people have ever been held accountable," he said. "It's a lot safer to do underground actions because you're a lot less likely to be involved in the legal system at all."

19 July 2007, CNS

UK Embassy In Chile Rocked By Explosion

THE British Embassy in Chile was rocked by an explosion today, with the blast shattering windows and damaging doors.

A Foreign Office spokesman said there were no reports of any casualties and that a police investigation was under way.

The Israeli embassy, which is located nearby, was also damaged in the explosion, which happened at 10pm on Sunday local time.

A police spokesman said the explosion was caused by a small package that apparently contained gunpowder.

The Foreign Office says 50,000 British tourists visit Chile annually and the threat from terrorism is low.

However, there are occasional acts of low-level domestic terrorism by left-wing groups, but these have not been directed against foreigners.

18 July 2007, Evening News

Edwards campaign changes mail operations

The John Edwards presidential campaign has changed mail operations for its national headquarters after a beeping package forced the evacuation of part of the Southern Village shopping area last week.

Edwards spokeswoman Colleen Murray offered no details on how mail and packages would be handled now.

"We have taken care of it," she said. "But we are not releasing information about what we've done or will do."

On Thursday, a FedEx package received at the campaign was beeping, prompting police, firefighters and a bomb squad to evacuate the area surrounding Edwards' campaign office in Southern Village, a development off U.S. 15/501 south of downtown Chapel Hill.

Once they disabled the package, law enforcement officials found a few digital watches inside.

That was the third time mail addressed to the campaign led to evacuations. In March, an envelope with a powdery substance also led to the evacuation of the campaign headquarters. In May, a second envelope addressed to Edwards prompted an evacuation at a Chapel Hill post office.

Investigators tested the powder and later said it was harmless.

16 July 2007, News Observer

Blast outside UK embassy in Chile

There has been an explosion outside the British Embassy in Chile, the Foreign Office has confirmed. U.S. channel CNN reported the blast took place outside the British and Israeli embassies in the capital Santiago at around 2200 local time last night.

The explosion was caused by a small package that apparently contained gunpowder, a police spokesman told CNN, and damage was limited. A Foreign Office spokesman said he was not aware of any casualties so far.

BBC/SKY

Tesco stores shut after threats

Fourteen Tesco stores across the UK have been closed by police following a series of threats.

Police have launched a criminal investigation but say they do not believe there is a link to extremism.

Hertfordshire Constabulary, which is leading the investigation, said the stores were closed as a precaution and no-one had been hurt.

One of the stores has since reopened and Tesco says all the others will be open again by Sunday morning.

Tesco stores were closed at Port Talbot, south Wales, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, and Market Harborough and Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire.

Other branches shut were in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk; Hucknall, Notts; Hereford and Ledbury, both in Herefordshire; and Barnes, south west London.

The last of these was the first to be reopened on Saturday evening.

Scottish branches of the supermarket were also closed in East Renfrewshire and Fife.

Police said other stores were closed in regions covered by their forces in Lancashire and Humberside.

Darren, an employee from the Ashby de la Zouch store said staff were told to evacuate the shop.

"We were allowed to go back in to get our belongings," he said. "We had to be as quick as we possibly could.

"We were informed briefly that the store was going to be closed for the rest of the day and we could go home straight away."

The Tesco store in Barrhead was closed at about 1230 BST on Saturday.

Police initially closed off the car park leading to the store and several other neighbouring shops, but it was opened within an hour.

A worker at a nearby shop said police had told him the store had been shut after receiving a bomb threat, along with several other supermarkets across the country.

Martin Jacklin was shopping in a Tesco store in Hucknall, Notts, when shoppers were told to take their shopping to the tills and leave at about 1415 BST.

He said: "Me, the wife and the children were in there, basically just doing a normal shop and it came over the tannoy that we were asked to leave, basically, go to the cashier, pay for your groceries and then leave.

"It was quite smoothly done. We spoke to a woman outside who worked there, she said she was just told to leave, not even to clock off, just to go."

A spokeswoman from Hertfordshire Constabulary said: "Police in Hertfordshire have launched a criminal investigation following a series of threats made to 14 Tesco stores across the country."

The force is leading the nationwide investigation because the retailer has its headquarters in the county.

The spokeswoman continued: "While the public are advised to remain vigilant we have no reason to believe that the incidents are linked to extremism of any kind.

"Every effort is being made to trace those involved."

Tesco is believed to have lost millions of pounds worth of business as a result of the closures.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "Tesco is working with the police following a series of incidents.

"Police are investigating and so we are unable to comment further."

She added: "As always, customer welfare is our priority."

14 July 2007, BBC News

Cairo Metro on Bomb Alert

Metro stations in Cairo were put on high alert after several bomb threats were made against one station, AFP reports. Bomb squads have been deployed and metal detectors installed at metro stations around the capital, according to a security source quoted by the news agency. There has been no official statement. The Metro's mainline carries 1.4m passengers daily.

14 July 2007

Goldman Sachs receives death threat letters FBI is investigating handwritten anonymous notes sent to newspapers

The FBI is investigating anonymous mailed threats against the Goldman Sachs investment firm but does not consider the warnings to be of “high credibility,” an investigator said Friday.

The letters, handwritten in red ink on loose-leaf paper and signed “A.Q.U.S.A.,” were mailed to 20 newspapers around the country, authorities said. The letters contained the warning: “Hundreds will die. We are inside. You cannot stop us.”

A federal law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told the AP that the FBI “does not assign high credibility to the threat” because of the circumstances surrounding the letters, including their brevity and the nonspecific nature of the threat. The investigator spoke on condition of anonymity.

Michael DuVally, a Goldman Sachs spokesman, said the firm was working closely with law enforcement authorities, adding that authorities told the firm they don't believe the threat is credible.

“We take any threat to the safety to our people seriously,” DuVally said. “We have a broad range of security measures in place to counter all likely threats and we're monitoring the situation closely.”

New York FBI spokesman James Margolin said the bureau was trying to determine the origin of the letters. “All threats are taken seriously,” he said.

The letters, postmarked in late June from the New York boroughs of Queens and the Bronx, were being analyzed by FBI and U.S. Postal inspectors at the FBI crime lab in Washington, D.C., and at the postal service lab in Dulles, Va., said Tom Boyle, a spokesman for the Postal Inspection Service.

Another investigator familiar with the case told the AP it may be difficult to isolate the fingerprints of whoever sent the letters because others have touched the envelopes after they were deposited in neighborhood mailboxes.

The investigators who spoke on condition of anonymity did so because they were not authorized to discuss the case with the media.

Investigators said they also will be looking for DNA evidence that may have been contained in saliva left when the envelopes were sealed. In addition, they will be examining the postal bar codes routinely stamped on letters to pinpoint exactly where the letters entered the mail stream.

The letters were sent to newspapers in areas including Seattle; Boise, Idaho; Corpus Christi, Texas; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Bayonne and Newark, N.J.; and cities in Vermont, Ohio and North Dakota. The Star-Ledger of Newark is the largest newspaper to have received one of the letters; theirs was postmarked June 27.

The newspapers notified local law enforcement agencies after receiving the letters and in some cases alerted Goldman Sachs directly, law enforcement officials said. Officials said they have no reason to suspect the newspapers that received the threatening letters have been targeted.

Goldman Sachs did not receive any of the threatening letters, Boyle said.

Goldman Sachs is based in New York, and has offices in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other cities. About 3,000 people work in its 44-story Jersey City, N.J., tower.

It is a federal offense to send threats through the U.S. mail.

6 July 2007, Associated Press

White powder given all clear

Police investigating a suspicious white powder delivered to a Swindon store this morning have confirmed the substance is not hazardous.

Cordons have now been lifted and Devizes Road, Old Town reopened after the Harmony Brides shop there was sectioned off earlier today.

The powder was delivered through the post to the shop this morning, sparking a ful scale alert.

The road was closed between the junctions with Wood Street and Newport Street while police, the ambulance service and the fire brigade dealt with the situation.

Specialist equipment was brought in from Bristol in order to test the substance, which thankfull turned out to be harmless.

While this was carried out, people working in shops inside the cordon were told to stay indoors.

Drivers were told to travel along Springfield Road and turn left along one of the side streets, or go down Newport Street past the Co-op and down Cricklade Street.

 3rd July 2007, Gazette & Herald

UK Farmers Fear More Attacks by Animal Extremists ( Oxford Mail, 6/8/2007 )

Farmers fear animal rights extremists may be stepping up action against them after the Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for a petrol bomb attack.

The ALF claimed on a website that it was behind two petrol bombs which caused half a million pounds worth of damage to Field Farm, Appleton.

Two tractors, containers and 200 hay bales were destroyed in the attack last month. ALF has vowed to continue targeting businesses and farms it believes are 'abusing' animals.

Andrew Forsyth, local National Farmers' Union group secretary, said: "It is a worrying development and a different step from the normal intimidation and harassment.

"Taking direct action of any sort that endangers human life, property, and the animals they are trying to protect, is a concern because it is unlawful and a very dangerous game to play."

The NFU will be speaking to farmers about security, though Mr Forsyth said there were no specific plans to tackle the threats. He said: "It is too early to say if this is a change in tactics. It is all very new.

“Farmers regard themselves as very good custodians of livestock who look after animals in a humane way and do what they do as best as possible.

"Our advice to farmers is to be alert and keep an eye on strange people and unexpected vehicles - and anybody asking questions."

He added it was too early to say if the Appleton attack was a one-off, or the start of a campaign.

Neil Rowe, manager at Manor Farm, in Marcham, an organic farm where livestock make their own way to the dairy barn and milk themselves using high-tech computer-driven milking machines, said: "We operate above the welfare standards and are very happy with that.

"I think you are always going to have lunatics on the fringe of society with their own way of thinking.

"We will wait and see if it is a one off, or if two or three more happen."

Police spokesman Victoria Bartlett said: "This type of criminality is very rare and we would like to reassure farm owners that we do take incidents of this nature extremely seriously and will be investigating fully."

Missouri Man Charged in Mail Bomb Incident ( Springfield News-Leader, 6/6/2007 )

West Plains , MO --A West Plains, Mo. , man is accused of mailing an explosive device to West Plains police in a plot against his ex-wife's husband, officials announced Tuesday.

Donald W. Schamber, 60, faces a federal charge on mailing a pipe bomb on Friday with the intent to injure another person. He is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. England at 2:30 p.m. today at Springfield 's federal courthouse.

If convicted, Schamber could face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.

According to an affidavit, a postal employee discovered a suspicious package with no return address while retrieving mail after noon Friday from a 1211 Parkway Plaza collection box.

The Missouri Highway Patrol bomb squad X-rayed the package and discovered a functional pipe bomb. Surveillance video taken May 1 at a West Plains Wal-Mart showed the suspect buying a rocket kit, tape, 12-gauge shotgun shells, pliers and a "Vaultz" box that matched components found in the explosive, U.S. Postal Inspector T.A. Rebottaro alleged in the document.

Photos of the suspect and a white Ford Ranger he drove were placed on a reward poster as a "person of interest."

After the poster's release, a woman contacted West Plains police Sunday identifying herself as the suspect's former wife. Law enforcement encountered the suspect driving a white Ford Ranger pickup Monday in front of the West Plains Police Department.

He reportedly told officials that he saw himself pictured in the media and had arrived to speak with authorities.

In an interview, "Schamber waived his Miranda rights and confessed to manufacturing the destructive device and placing it in the mail receptacle," Rebottaro alleged in the document.

The suspect said it was a plot against his ex-wife's husband, and he wanted to incriminate the husband so he could have a relationship with her again, the affidavit claimed.

U.S. Postal Inspector Dan Taylor said functional package bombs are very rare.

The postal service receives many hoaxes, but only about two live explosive devices are discovered annually nationwide, he said.

Colombian Education Minister Blames Violent Groups For Letter Bomb Attack (Xinhua, 6/6/2007 )

Bogota, Columbia--Colombia's Education Minister Cecilia Velez said Tuesday that violent groups who had infiltrated the protests against the country's new educational laws were behind the attack on the deputy education minister.

Deputy Education Minister Gabriel Burgos suffered hands and face injuries on Monday, when a letter bomb sent to his office exploded.

The attack came after weeks of protests by students and teachers, who say a new government budget plan would cut education funds.

"We think it has to be a signal from those violent groups that are involved in the movement... The only thing that Burgos has tried to do is solve problems," said Velez.

He added that the students are not interested in solving problems, but in creating chaos. The Colombian Educators Federation (Cofede) had already called for the suspension of protests on Friday.

"We have already said that we will not act against the interests of public universities. We have respected peaceful protest, but these violent acts make us think some people do not want the problems to be solved," the education minister said.

Colombian authorities broke up a sit-in at a university building in province at Caldas and arrested 24 university students. Police also found explosives during the raid.

Powder in Letter to Federal MP Causes Evacuation in Australia (ABC, 6/5/2007 )

Two staffers from Federal MP Peter Slipper's office and five ABC staff were evacuated from adjoining premises on the Sunshine Coast today, after white powder was discovered in a letter sent to the Minister.

Police, ambulance and fire units were called to the workplace shortly before 9:00am AEST.

The MP's staff member who handled the letter was hosed down by emergency services personnel dressed in contamination suits and masks and his clothes bagged for safety.

Samples were analyzed by the fire brigade scientific specialists and staff were allowed back into the building after it was found the powder was not harmful.

Local ABC radio programs were broadcast from the Gold Coast during the incident.

Colombian Minister Injured In Letter Bomb Attack (AP, 6/5/2007 )

Colombia 's deputy Education Minister was injured in the face and hands by a letter bomb, police said.

Gabriel Burgos was in his office when a package he was opening exploded on Tuesday, said Alberto Cantillo, spokesman for the national police.

The extent of Burgos ' injuries was not immediately known and he was rushed to a hospital.

''There was an explosion, he is injured, but I don't know how badly,'' said ministry spokeswoman Carol Ramirez.

The attack comes after weeks of protests by students and teachers who say a new budget plan will cut funding for education, something the government denies.

Suspicious Package Forces Evacuation Of Prime Minister's Residence in Canada (Ottawa Citizen, 5/13/2007 )

The official residence of the prime minister has been evacuated after a person threw a suspicious package over the fence at 24 Sussex Drive .

Traffic has been shut down to cars and pedestrians on Sussex Drive as the RCMP explosives disposal unit investigates the package.

RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Monique Beauchamp said the call came in at 5:08 p.m. She said police were looking for a suspect in connection with the incident, but had not located one yet.

She said a police dog had been brought to the scene as well as firefighters, paramedics and the Ottawa police, who were assisting the Mounties.

Sgt. Beauchamp said she did not know whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper or his family were at home at the time of the incident.

Mail Handler Hospitalized After Faeces Sent in Mail With Parking Ticket Payment (SooNews, 5/12/2007 )

In Austin , Minnesota , mailing an overdue parking ticket payment has taken on a whole new meaning.

A 22-year old man allegedly inserted dog excretement in an envelope along with his payment, and placed it in a mail drop off box for police.

On April 25/07, an Austin Police Department staff member became suspicious of the foul odor emanating from the mid-size envelope. The envelope appeared to have a soft spongy feel to it, but it did not appear to be traditionally padded with bubble wrap.

Instead, the padding was the creative artistic expression of a disgruntled motorist.

The Scent of Misplaced Anger

The staff member observed that there was a peculiar brown fluid on the envelope and her hands. She immediately called for assistance, and received both physical and emotional support from angry staff members and police officers.

Police began an immediate search for the man who quickly became known as ‘The Mad Crapper.' He was interviewed extensively, and cited after admitting to the nasty deed.

It was reported that the perpetrator expressed regret, but appeared to still be upset about receiving the parking ticket.

Staff Member Hospitalized, No Further Casualties Reported

The staff member who was exposed to the fecal matter was hospitalized for several days. It has not yet been confirmed if the stay was the result of the handling of the stained envelope.

News of the fecal envelope has made its way throughout the state quickly. There has been no comment with regard to any procedural changes to opening mail at the Austin Police Department.

It has been suggested that alternative forms of payment, such as online transactions should be the preferred route.

There was no word on whether the check was actually processed.

Japan Defense Minister Sent Razor Blade Letter (AP, 5/9/2007 )

Japan 's defense minister was mailed a razor blade and a letter criticizing his U.S. policy, police and news reports said Wednesday, in the latest of several threats and attacks against Japanese politicians.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the threat, telling reporters, "suppressing freedom of speech is absolutely unacceptable."

An aide found the razor blade inside an envelope in Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's Parliament mailbox on Monday, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol. No one was hurt, the official said.

The envelope also contained a handwritten letter accusing Kyuma of being too soft during a recent visit to the United States , Kyodo News agency quoted Kyuma's office as saying.

Kyuma returned from Washington last week after talks with top U.S. officials on North Korea , cooperation in missile defense and a sweeping agreement to reshuffle the 50,000 U.S. forces stationed in Japan .

Some nationalist groups have accused the government of not doing enough to pressure North Korea to come clean on its past abductions of Japanese citizens.

Tokyo has also come under fire over the U.S. troop reshuffle plan, which some say does not go far enough to alleviate the burden on communities which host large numbers of American personnel.

The threat came just weeks after a gangster fatally shot the mayor of the southern city of Nagasaki over a traffic dispute — the most dramatic of recent attacks and threats against politicians.

Though the shooting did not appear to be politically motivated, other cases of threats or violence against politicians have raised concerns that the country's freedom of expression is under assault.

Last year, a right-wing extremist burned down the house of a prominent lawmaker who had criticized former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's pilgrimage to a war shrine with close links to Japan 's past militarism.

More Anthrax Threats Sent to UK Football Players ( Manchester Evening News, 5/4/2007 )

Manchester United has been targeted with more suspect packages containing white powder.

Four letters were addressed to players, including Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The letters were found by staff at the club's Carrington training ground, the day after a security alert over a letter addressed to Sir Alex Ferguson which also contained a white powder.

That letter, also sent to the ground, was opened by the manager's personal assistant.

Police confirmed the powder had been analyzed and was harmless.

The same substance is believed to have been in one of the new letters.

It is thought the letters were part of the same batch, but had remained undiscovered in the internal post until Wednesday.

Police are now working to find out who sent them and why.

Discovery

Following the discovery of the first letter, three people were taken to hospital as a precaution and the ground was sealed off by police and firefighters.

Sir Alex and the players were not affected because they were on their way to Italy for the game against AC Milan.

While police have refused to give details of what was said in the letters, it is understood the first included a note which read: "You silly old b*****d. Why have you opened this? You will be dead within an hour."

A Fire Service spokesman said that hazardous material specialists had been called to the ground Wednesday.

The closure of the ground meant two school football finals due to be held there on Tuesday had to be cancelled.

A police spokesman said: "Further suspicious packages were discovered on Wednesday, following reports that an unidentified substance had been discovered in an envelope.

"At this stage, it would appear that all of the packages have been sent by the same person.

"Tests on the substance established that it was not harmful."

Rail Employee in India Hurt In Letter Bomb Blast (Times News Network, 5/2/2007 )

A letter bomb explosion injured a railway employee at Malakpet in the City on Tuesday evening. The source of the letter bomb is yet to be established.

Though the explosive packed in the envelope was reportedly high-intensity PETN (Penthrite), the impact was less due to its small quantity. The envelope was sent to the apartment complex where the woman stayed.

According to police, K Naga Lakshmi, aged around 40, who is a senior clerk with the South Central Railway (SCR) at Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad, returned to her G-2 flat in Sandhya Giri enclave at Kalyan Nagar in Gaddiannaram at around 5 pm .

According to DCP (East) B Bala Krishna, one of her neighbors found a brown envelope lying on the compound wall of the apartment complex at around 6 pm . She duly informed Naga Lakshmi about the letter and she sent her domestic help to fetch the letter. The maid brought the letter and handed it to Naga Lakshmi. But as soon as she opened the envelope, it exploded right in her face.

Naga Lakshmi suffered minor burns on her abdomen and was immediately rushed to a private hospital located in her neighborhood. After examining her, the doctors said that there was no danger to her life and her condition was stable.

“The explosive used was a high-intensity one. It had an electric detonator with PETN used as explosive. However, the impact was less due to less quantity of the chemical packed in the explosive, leaving the woman with minor injuries,” Bala Krishna said.

The police are yet to identify the source of the letter and to ascertain why the railway employee was targeted.

The entire area was cordoned off after the incident and investigations are on.

Police also intend to speak to the family members and neighbors of Naga Lakshmi to find out if anyone can throw light on the source of the explosives.