Spain has said it was boosting security measures after a series of letter bombs was discovered in the country, including one that was sent to Spain’s prime minister last week and another to the US embassy.
The sixth and latest bomb was detected Thursday afternoon and sent to the US embassy in Madrid. It was intercepted at around 12.30 p.m. local time at the security post of the embassy, a police source told CNN. The envelope was detonated in a controlled environment, according to two US officials. No one was injured in the process, the officials said.
“We are grateful to Spanish law enforcement for their assistance with this matter,” Jamie Martin, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Madrid, told CNN. Security was increased at the embassy after suspicious packages were sent to other embassies Wednesday, a US official said.
A US State Department spokesperson said it “will continue to evaluate the security situation and provide updates as appropriate. The US Embassy in Madrid remains open for American Citizen Services. We thank Spanish law enforcement for their assistance.”
A previous bomb, sent to an air force base near Madrid, was discovered before dawn Thursday, after one exploded at the Ukrainian embassy in the capital Wednesday and another was deactivated at an arms manufacturer.
A device addressed to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in the post at his official Moncloa compound on November 24 and his security detail singled it out as suspicious. After establishing a security perimeter, they conducted a “controlled explosion” of the envelope, an interior ministry statement said.
The bomb “would be similar, for its features and content” to those received on Wednesday at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid and at the arms manufacturer Instalaza in Zaragoza, and on Thursday at Spain’s Torrejon air force base near Madrid, the statement said. The most recent letter bomb was intercepted just before dawn Thursday after being sent to the Torrejon air force base.
