The IRA has claimed responsibility for explosive devices found at three buildings in London and Glasgow last week, London’s Metropolitan police said.

The claim was received on Monday by a media outlet in Northern Ireland and contained a recognised codeword used by the group.

In a statement, the Met said the caller had described how five devices had been sent, although only four have so far been found.

“Given the packages received last week bore similarities to devices sent in the past which were linked to dissident groups associated with Northern Ireland-related terrorism, officers were already looking at this as a line of enquiry. However, we continue to keep an open mind and enquiries continue,” the statement read.