6th suspected letter bomb intercepted in Spain at US Embassy

Five other envelopes sent to high-profile targets had been confirmed to contain explosive material since last week, including two others on Thursday, all bearing similar characteristics, according to authorities.

The first, addressed to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was sent via ordinary mail and was defused by police. It was not made public until a week later.

Shortly after the incident, the Interior Ministry told police to increase security around mail packages sent to government offices.

On Wednesday, a similar package addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador went off at the embassy in Madrid, causing a staffer minor injuries.

Later that night, arms company Instalaza, which produces C90 rocket-propelled grenade launchers that Spain sends to Ukraine, discovered another suspicious package. Staff reported it to the police and the bomb was deactivated.

Just a few hours later, early on Thursday morning, security staff at the Torrejon Air Base in Madrid detected another suspected letter bomb directed to the European Union Satellite Center.

After passing it through an x-ray machine, authorities found that it contained a suspicious “mechanism,” with police subsequently called to deactivate the device.

Another envelope was detected at the Defense Ministry, addressed to Defense Minister Margarita Robles, according to sources who spoke to EFE.

Rafael Perez, director general of the Civil Guard, said that the five envelopes had “similar characteristics” and were sent from inside Spain, citing preliminary investigations.

The Interior Ministry has increased security measures around consulates and other sensitive organizations, with the High Court now investigating the cases.

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