US Embassy in Spain Receives Suspicious Package Amid Series of Letter Bombs – National

Spanish police have detonated a suspicious envelope found at the US embassy in Madrid, Spanish officials said Thursday, after a similar package sent to the Ukrainian embassy caught fire upon opening, injuring an employee. said the next day.

“We can confirm that a suspicious package was received at the US embassy in Madrid and are aware of reports of other packages being sent to other locations throughout Spain,” the US embassy said in an Associated Press investigation. said accordingly.

“We appreciate the support of the Spanish law enforcement authorities in this matter,” he added.

Authorities have cordoned off a large area around the embassy in the center of the Spanish capital.

The action followed police reports that multiple explosive letters had been sent in Spain over the past two days. satellite center, and an arms factory in northeastern Spain that manufactures grenades destined for Ukraine.

Spanish officials have yet to identify who was responsible for the letter or its connection to the war in Ukraine.

Officials said the bomb squad also destroyed an explosive device sent by regular mail to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on November 24.

The Russian embassy in Madrid on Thursday condemned the letter bombing, tweeting that “any threat or terrorist attack, especially one directed at diplomatic missions, should be fully condemned.”

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The parcel sent to the Ukrainian Embassy was addressed to the Ambassador to Spain. When the fire broke out, the employee who was handling it suffered minor injuries.

The Spanish National Court is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has ordered increased security for all Ukrainian foreign embassies abroad and called on the Spanish Foreign Minister for a speedy investigation.

According to Secretary of State Rafael Perez, initial assessments indicated that the first five parcels were likely sent from within Spain. Police say all but one of the letter bombs have been destroyed.

Perez said the unharmed explosives were from the air force base and that it and its packaging were part of the investigation.

Officials said the parcel was sent to the director of the European Union Satellite Centre. The center, known as SatCen, is the EU’s geospatial intelligence agency and its mandate includes surveillance of Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry package was addressed to Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, Perez said. Spain has contributed both military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.

Robles was visiting Ukraine on Thursday to support defense efforts with another aid package. Officials did not provide details of the aid, saying they did not want to give classified information to the Russian military.

Robles said the recent disturbing findings do not affect Spain’s full support for Ukraine.

“Police are investigating these packages, but let me clarify one thing,” she said in Spanish. “None of these packages or other acts of violence change the clear and firm support that Spain and other NATO and EU countries have for Ukraine.”

The targeted weapons factory is located in the northeastern city of Zaragoza. The parcel was addressed to the factory manager.

A senior government official in Zaragoza said both the arms factory and the Ukrainian embassy parcels had the same email address as the sender. Details were not disclosed.

Sending small explosives in parcels is not uncommon in many countries. They were common in Spain for many years, especially during the most active period of the now-defunct Basque armed group ETA.

Perez said security in public buildings had been tightened after a package sent to the Spanish prime minister was found. The move has now been extended to embassies, where additional security measures were already in place after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.

© 2022 The Canadian Press