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| Three injured in new letter-bomb attack | | |
LONDON:
The DVLA office in Swansea, where a letter bomb exploded today Britain's chief police officers issued a warning today over the letter bomb scare revealing that seven postal devices have been received in the last three weeks injuring six people.
It came as three women in the DVLA's main office were injured in a new letter bomb attack.
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "Three people are being treated for injuries sustained as a result of the incident.One woman has sustained minor burns and two other women have sustained hearing-related injuries.
"It is too early to say whether or not there is a link to any other incident, but South Wales Police are keeping an open mind."
A DVLA employee told the South Wales Evening Post she saw her colleague taken to hospital. She told the newspaper: "We were told that it was a small firework device in a Jiffy bag.
"The woman who was injured had bandages around her eyes and lacerations to her chest. We have been told to stay here. We are absolutely petrified here. Everyone is really frightened."
Russell Rees, an IT worker at the DVLA, told the newspaper that people had been evacuated from the postroom area and taken to the office canteen. Mr Rees said they were told not to open any more mail.
An army bomb disposal squad escorted by two police cars arrived at the DVLA at 1pm today, but a police spokeswoman said there were no new developments.
Chief Superintendent Mark Mathias, divisional commander of Swansea police, said the ground floor postroom of the DVLA is now being treated as a crime scene.
Prime Minister Tony Blair today expressed sympathy to all those caught up in the letter bomb attack on the DVLA in Swansea and other similar incidents.
Mr Blair told the Commons that the attacks were being investigated "very closely" and promised to update MPs with any developments. He was speaking after Labour's Sian James condemned the attack in her Swansea East constituency.
Mr Blair said: "Can I express my sympathy to all those who have been caught up in those incidents in your constituency and elsewhere and say how sorry we are that they have been put through what is obviously a very traumatic time for them. I hope that they recover from the injuries that they have sustained."
Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said: "This cowardly attack is deeply, deeply shocking. I know many workers at the DVLA are from my Neath constituency.
"I send my sympathies and best wishes to the victims for a full and speedy recovery. The police are investigating and the culprits will be brought to justice."
Police are believed to be investigating the possibility that the culprit is a disgruntled motorist. They are investigating similarities with another letter bombing at a house in Folkestone, Kent, at the weekend which injured a 53-year-old man.
Yesterday, a package exploded at the offices of an accountancy firm linked to Speed Check Services, the provider of digital speed cameras to the police.
That followed a letter bomb attack the day before at the central London offices of Capita, which runs London's congestion charge system.
The latest attack appears to confirm fears that an enraged motorist is mounting a daily letter bomb campaign. |
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