London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Spain boosts security as PM and US embassy targeted amid series of letter bombs

Spain boosts security as PM and US embassy targeted amid series of letter bombs

Spain said Thursday it was boosting security measures after a series of letter bombs were 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. A special protocol was activated for these cases, the source added.

“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.

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.

Spanish defense ministry officials said a suspicious envelope was detected by a scanner at the base. The scan indicated the envelope could have “some type of mechanism” inside, a statement said. Police were called to the base to analyze the envelope, which was addressed to the Satellite Center at the air base.

The Spanish defense ministry also received a letter bomb addressed to Defense Minister Margarita Robles, the Secretary of State for Security Rafael Perez said Thursday.

Perez said the letters were likely sent from Spanish territory, and that in four out of the five cases, protection measures worked successfully to neutralize the bombs.

People should remain “calm,” the minister said, and there was no reason yet to justify raising a terror threat.

Earlier targets

The latest developments followed the discovery of two letter bombs on Wednesday. The first exploded at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid in the afternoon, injuring an employee, Spanish officials said.

That envelope, addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, exploded after being handled by a Ukrainian worker at the embassy, Spain’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Later, in the evening, police deactivated a letter bomb at a weapons manufacturer in northern Spain, a senior Spanish official said.

The envelope sent to the arms maker had the same return address as the envelope that exploded at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, said the official, Rosa Serrano, in an interview with Spain’s radio station SER late Wednesday.

“The return address on the envelope is an email that is the same” on both envelopes, said Serrano, who is the top Spanish government official in the Aragon region where the second letter bomb arrived.

The envelope at the weapons maker in the city of Zaragoza, in Aragon, “apparently came from Ukraine,” Serrano said, adding that authorities suspect the one at the embassy may have also come from Ukraine.

An executive at the arms manufacturer was apparently aware of the Madrid explosion, so when an envelope arrived soon after that no one seemed to recognize, the company called police, Serrano said.

The bomb squad arrived and police determined there were explosives inside the envelope, designed to explode on opening. It was deactivated, Serrano said.

Serrano didn’t identify the firm, but Spanish media reported its name and said it manufactured rocket launchers that Spain has sent to Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion. CNN could not immediately confirm that detail.

“I know the firm has been an arms manufacturer a long time, with state-of-the-art facilities,” Serrano said in the radio interview.

Police notified Spain’s National Court, which investigates terrorism, about each of the letter bombs, the statement said.

The interior ministry has ordered increased security measures at all embassies and consulates in Spain, as well as other sites that require special protection. Security had already been boosted after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×