Two packages sent to members of the European Parliament burst into flames yesterday in the latest wave of a letter-bomb campaign which has already targeted Mr Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, and Mr Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank.
Mr Pat Cox, the president of the European Parliament, condemned the attacks as "a criminal conspiracy against democracy", and said the parliament was intensifying security. A woman opening the post in the Brussels office of Mr Hans-Gert Poettering, a senior German MEP, escaped unhurt despite unwittingly triggering a small fire. Mr Poettering is leader of the parliament's grouping of centre-right parties, which includes Fine Gael. An e-mail alert was quickly sent to MEPs and their staff, who were returning to work after the holidays.
A second suspect package was then found in the office of Mr José Ignacio Salafranca, leader of the Spanish Christian Democrat MEPs. It was handed over, unopened, to the Belgian police.
A third letter-bomb burst into flames at the Manchester office of Mr Gary Titley, leader of the British Labour MEPs. Again, the member of staff opening the post escaped injury.
Back in Brussels, Mr Jonathan Evans, leader of the British Conservative MEPs, handed a suspect package over to Belgian police.
Mr Cox warned MEPs, their families and staff to be on alert in their homes and constituency offices as well as the parliament. Mr Cox, who is in Ireland, will return to Brussels late today. His staff were instructed not to open his post, which was removed for further inspection.
Mr Cox's spokesman, Mr David Harley, said the suspect packages addressed to Mr Poettering and Mr Salafranca had been sent from Bologna, dated December 22nd. The two packages were identical in size and weight. They are thought to have been large brown envelopes apparently containing a video cassette and are similar to those already discovered by other EU targets. On December 28th Mr Prodi opened a package sent to his home in Bologna addressed to his wife. A book stuffed with explosive material burst into flames but he was unhurt.
Over the following two days security staff intercepted packages sent to Mr Trichet at the ECB's headquarters in Frankfurt and to the offices of the two European agencies for police and judicial co-operation in The Hague, Eurojust and Europol.