A primary school caretaker was remanded in custody on Friday on charges that he was behind a three-week spate of letter-bomb attacks that injured eight people in Britain.
Banbury Magistrate’s Court, in south-central England, ordered Miles Cooper (27) held by the detention authorities until his next appearance in nearby Oxford Crown Court on March 2.
Cooper was charged on Thursday with 12 offences under the Explosive Substances Act and the Offences Against the Person Act following his arrest on Monday at his home in the eastern English city of Cambridge.
Seven of the charges relate to seven letter bombs, three of which were posted to forensic-science laboratories; one to a home, and another three to companies with links to traffic enforcement.
The remaining five charges against Cooper relate to the people who opened them. The charges range from assault that caused “actual bodily harm” to actions that “unlawfully and maliciously caused grievous bodily harm”.
Police said that prosecutors authorised them to charge Cooper with “several offences in connection with a series of improvised explosive devices that were sent through the post to companies and organisations”.
The seven attacks date back to January and often targeted motoring-related organisations. Six of the seven companies hit provide services or technology to law-enforcement agencies.
The attacks ended about two weeks ago. They all featured home-made devices in A5-size postal bags and at least two contained glass.
Paul Harrison, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said the case was being kept under constant review.
“I made the decision that there was sufficient evidence and authorised that Miles Cooper should be charged with 12 offences contrary to the Explosive Substances Act and the Offences Against the Person Act,” he said Thursday. — AFP