Dissident republicans were last night linked by the British government to seven “crude but viable” letter bombs sent to British army recruiting offices in southern England.

Suspicious packages were found in Brighton, Canterbury and Slough; another was sent to an office in Aldershot, while two more were sent to military offices in Reading and in Chatham in Kent two days ago.

They were defused without damage or injuries.

“Seven suspect packages have been identified as containing small, crude, but potentially viable devices bearing the hallmarks of Northern Ireland-related terrorism,” said Downing Street.



Crude mixture

Two of the packages were posted in the Republic, while the rest were mailed in Britain. The devices, a crude mixture of gunpowder and fuses, are identical to those sent by the Real IRA last year to people in Northern Ireland, including Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers.

Last night, Mrs Villiers discussed the issue with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, while British counter- terrorist officers are in direct communication with their Irish counterparts.

Royal Mail has been put on alert for further packages, while military staff have been told to take extra precautions with mail.

Shoppers in Canterbury in Kent were evacuated from a number of streets near a recruiting office yesterday after a package of “a suspicious nature” was discovered there.