The U.S. embassy in Madrid has received an envelope similar to the five letter bombs that have been sent to high-profile targets in Spain including the country’s Prime Minister and the Ukrainian consulate.
The discovery of the suspicious envelope comes as Spanish police reported a wave of explosive packages being sent to five different locations in capital in the space of a week.
The latest letter is ‘similar’ to five others that have been sent to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, a Spanish weapons manufacturer supplying rockets to Kyiv, the defence ministry and an air force base.
The envelope was destroyed by police officers in a controlled explosion at the US embassy, the Spanish Interior Ministry said today. No injuries have been reported.
The U.S. embassy in Madrid has received an envelope similar to the five letter bombs that have been sent to high-profile targets in Spain including the country’s Prime Minister and the Ukrainian consulate. Pictured: Police officers stand the U.S. Embassy in Madrid after a suspected explosive device hidden in an envelope was mailed to the embassy on Thursday
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (pictured yesterday) received a letter bomb last week
Earlier today, it emerged that Sanchez received a booby-trapped letter which contained ‘pyrotechnic material’ on November 24.
The envelope, addressed to Sanchez, was destroyed by security staff who carried out a ‘controlled explosion’, the interior ministry said today.
And since Sanchez was sent the letter bomb, ‘similar’ devices have been sent to six locations across Spain – including a weapons manufacturer which supplies rocket launchers to Ukraine as well Ukraine’s embassy in Madrid.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, appeared to blame Russia for the letter bomb at its embassy.
‘We are well aware of the terrorist methods of the aggressor country,’ he said. ‘Russia’s methods and attacks require us to be ready for any kind of incident, provocation or attack,’ he added.
But in a statement Thursday, Russia’s embassy in Spain said: ‘Any threat or terrorist act, especially those that target a diplomatic mission, is to be totally condemned.’
Meanwhile, sixth suspected letter bomb was sent to the US embassy in Madrid today, while a another confirmed device was sent this morning to Spain’s Ministry of defence, with the envelope addressed to the defence minister Margarita Robles.
Robles today said that no letter or other violent action will deter Spain from helping Ukraine further.
Deputy Interior Minister Rafael Perez today said that early indications suggest that the envelopes with explosives were sent from within Spain.
The devices were sent in similar brown envelopes and contained loose gunpowder with an electrical ignition mechanism that would make the powder burn, rather than explode, a source close to the investigation said.
Police officers stand outside Spain’s Ministry of Defense after suspected explosive devices hidden in envelopes were mailed to the ministry on Thursday
A Spanish police officer stands near Spain’s Ministry of Defense after suspected explosive devices hidden in envelopes were mailed to the ministry on Thursday
It comes after a security officer at Ukraine’s embassy in Madrid lightly injured his hand while opening a letter bomb addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador on Wednesday, prompting Kyiv to boost security at its embassies worldwide.
Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev told the Ukrainian news site European Pravda that the suspicious package addressed to him was handed to the embassy’s Ukrainian commandant.
‘The package contained a box, which raised the commandant’s suspicions and he decided to take it outside with no one in the vicinity and open it,’ Pohoreltsev was quoted as saying.
‘After opening the box and hearing a click that followed, he tossed it and then heard the explosion… Despite not holding the box at the time of the explosion, the commandant hurt his hands and received a concussion.’
On Wednesday, a security officer at Ukraine’s embassy in Madrid lightly injured his hand while opening a letter bomb addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador, prompting Kyiv to boost security at its embassies worldwide. Pictured: Spanish policemen secure area around the embassy on Wednesday
After the first incident, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered all of Kyiv’s embassies abroad to ‘urgently’ strengthen security and urged Spain to investigate the attack, a Ukrainian ministry spokesperson said.
A second package was confirmed to have been received on Wednesday night at the headquarters of Spanish weapons manufacturer, Instalaza in Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain, police said.
Instalaza manufactures the C90 rocket launcher that Spain has supplied to Ukraine.
Spanish security forces found a third suspected explosive device hidden in an envelope mailed to a European Union satellite centre located at an air force base in Torrejon de Ardoz, outside Madrid, on Thursday, the defence ministry said today.
After scanning the envelope by X-ray, air force security officers determined it contained ‘a mechanism’, the ministry statement said.
The base is regularly used to send weapons donated by Spain to Ukraine, as well as for travel in official planes by senior government officials.
The satellite centre supports the EU’s common foreign and security policy by gathering information from space intelligence devices, according to its website. EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell described such systems as ‘the eyes of Europe’ in September.
A fifth envelope with ‘explosive’ arrived at the defence ministry in Madrid on Thursday morning before experts blew up the package in a controlled explosion.
Spain’s High Court, which specialises in terrorism offences, has opened a probe into the attacks.
The Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in Spain posted a statement on Thursday condemning ‘any threat or terrorist act’ in relation to the five letter bombs sent to government offices, private companies and the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid.
‘Any threat or terrorist act, particularly directed at a diplomatic mission, are to be totally condemned,’ the statement said.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest World News Click Here
