MADRID: Spain increased the security of public and diplomatic buildings after a series of letter bombs were sent to targets such as the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the Ukrainian Embassy, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.
The ministry said an “envelope containing pyrotechnic material” addressed to Sanchez was received on Nov. 24 and disarmed by his security team.
The device was “similar” to subsequent packages received by the Ukrainian embassy and a Spanish arms company on Wednesday, he added. A device was also intercepted at Spain’s Torrejon de Ardoz air base in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The first letter bomb was received and opened by a Ukrainian embassy security guard midday on Wednesday and exploded, slightly injuring the official.
Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev told Ukrainian news site European Pravda that the suspicious package addressed to him had been handed over to the Ukrainian commander of the embassy.
“There was a box in the package, which aroused the commander’s suspicions and he decided to take it outside – with no one around – and open it,” Pohoreltsev said.
“After opening the box and hearing an ensuing click, he threw it away and then heard the explosion… Although he was not holding the box at the moment of the explosion, the commander was injured in the hands and suffered a concussion.”
After the first incident, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered all Kyiv embassies abroad to “urgently” step up security and urged Spain to investigate the attack, a Ukrainian ministry spokesman said.
A second package was confirmed to have been received on Wednesday evening at the headquarters of Spanish arms manufacturer Instalaza in Zaragoza, northeastern Spain, police said.
Instalaza manufactures the C90 rocket launcher that Spain supplied to Ukraine.
Spanish security forces discovered a third suspected explosive device hidden in an envelope sent to a European Union satellite center located at an air base in Torrejon de Ardoz, near Madrid, the defense ministry said.
After scanning the envelope with X-rays, Air Force security officers determined it contained “a mechanism,” according to the ministry statement.
The satellite center 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 these systems as “the eyes of Europe” in September.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that another device had been sent to the Spanish Ministry of Defense in Madrid, but this has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Spain’s High Court, which specializes in terrorism offences, has opened an investigation into the attack.
The ministry said an “envelope containing pyrotechnic material” addressed to Sanchez was received on Nov. 24 and disarmed by his security team.
The device was “similar” to subsequent packages received by the Ukrainian embassy and a Spanish arms company on Wednesday, he added. A device was also intercepted at Spain’s Torrejon de Ardoz air base in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The first letter bomb was received and opened by a Ukrainian embassy security guard midday on Wednesday and exploded, slightly injuring the official.
Ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev told Ukrainian news site European Pravda that the suspicious package addressed to him had been handed over to the Ukrainian commander of the embassy.
“There was a box in the package, which aroused the commander’s suspicions and he decided to take it outside – with no one around – and open it,” Pohoreltsev said.
“After opening the box and hearing an ensuing click, he threw it away and then heard the explosion… Although he was not holding the box at the moment of the explosion, the commander was injured in the hands and suffered a concussion.”
After the first incident, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered all Kyiv embassies abroad to “urgently” step up security and urged Spain to investigate the attack, a Ukrainian ministry spokesman said.
A second package was confirmed to have been received on Wednesday evening at the headquarters of Spanish arms manufacturer Instalaza in Zaragoza, northeastern Spain, police said.
Instalaza manufactures the C90 rocket launcher that Spain supplied to Ukraine.
Spanish security forces discovered a third suspected explosive device hidden in an envelope sent to a European Union satellite center located at an air base in Torrejon de Ardoz, near Madrid, the defense ministry said.
After scanning the envelope with X-rays, Air Force security officers determined it contained “a mechanism,” according to the ministry statement.
The satellite center 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 these systems as “the eyes of Europe” in September.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that another device had been sent to the Spanish Ministry of Defense in Madrid, but this has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Spain’s High Court, which specializes in terrorism offences, has opened an investigation into the attack.
