British police said on Friday they had arrested a 48-year-old man who claimed to have sent one of a series of letter bombs to hit the country in recent weeks.
Anton Setchell, the police national coordinator for domestic extremism, said the man had been detained on Thursday under the Mental Health Act after he called a radio station to claim responsibility for a letter bomb in Wokingham, southern England, on Tuesday.
”Despite this significant development there remains in place a substantial police investigation spread across several force areas. The focus of my investigation remains broad,” Setchell told a news conference.
Six people were hurt in Swansea, south Wales, on Wednesday by the seventh letter bomb in a three-week campaign that has included at least three targets related to the enforcement of traffic rules. Police have said they believe the bombs were intended to shock, not kill.
Three of the letter bombs were sent in January, one of which bore the name of a jailed animal rights activist.
”I continue to investigate leads that point towards animal rights extremism, but equally I am focused in several other areas,” Setchell said. — Reuters