Authorities defused a letter bomb at the US embassy in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday and said other similar devices were sent to high-profile government officials and embassies.
Bomb spreaders on Thursday safely dismantled the sixth such device to surface in recent weeks believed to be part of a wave of actions taken to try to influence foreign policy, specifically the current involvement of the country in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The first of the suspicious and potentially dangerous devices was addressed to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on November 24.
A Spanish policeman stands guard near the US embassy in Madrid, on December 1, 2022, after receiving a letter bomb, similar to the one that exploded at the Ukrainian embassy.
(OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Their discovery prompted the implementation of additional security measures and increased awareness of such devices. Five more were discovered.
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Similar devices have been found at the Spanish Defense Ministry, an air force base, an arms manufacturer and the Ukrainian embassy, the last of which caused minor injuries to a security officer.
After the device was found, Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles said she would not dissuade the country from supporting Ukraine and its “just cause” in fighting Russia.
General view of a police device in the vicinity of the United States Embassy in Madrid where a package bomb has been received, December 1, 2022, in Madrid, Spain.
(Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images)
The statement came as Robles was meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov.
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“What must be made very clear is that none of these renditions or any other violent action will change the clear and firm commitment of Spain, the NATO countries and the European Union to support Ukraine,” Robles said, Reuters reported.
Thursday’s package was found by security agents and eventually handed over to Spanish police to be safely detonated.
A military police car patrols at the main entrance of the Spanish air force base, in Torrejón de Ardoz, near Madrid, on December 1, 2022, after Spanish security forces found a ‘suspicious’ package. , a day after a letter bomb exploded at the Ukrainian embassy. in the Spanish capital.
(OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
On Wednesday, the letter bombs were found at the Ukrainian embassy and at the arms manufacturer Instalaza, which has supplied weapons to Ukraine. Three bombs were found on Thursday.
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The bombs come as Ukraine continues its war against Russia over its eastern territories. Russia militarily captured Donbas, including Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and other areas, but Ukrainian forces have recaptured some territories.
Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time on February 24.
Reuters contributed to this report.
