The Five Demands

‘Dissident’ explosives sent to Army (UTV)

Suspect packages sent to Army offices in England this week are understood to have contained explosive black powder and to have been sent from the Republic of Ireland – with dissident republicans thought to be behind the attacks.

Senior police sources have told UTV the ‘New IRA’ sent the devices to armed forces offices in Oxford, Reading, Chatham, Aldershot and Canterbury.

A total of seven have been mailed altogether – four were intercepted on Thursday in addition to three which were found earlier this week.

UTV correspondent Sharon O’Neill said: “Like all letterbombs they are very crude in nature but can still cause injury. The problem with them in terms of finding those responsible is they’re hard to trace.

“But it is emerging tonight that two of them came from the Republic. Were any posted from here?We don’t know yet – but what we do know is that the PSNI and An Garda Síochána are working closely with police forces in England.”

The A4 envelopes were discovered by Army officers, but it is not clear whether the packages could have exploded. A shopping centre in Slough also received one of the potentially explosive parcels.

A Number 10 spokeswoman described them as “crude”, but said injuries could have been caused.

She added that they bore “hallmarks of Northern Ireland-related terrorism”. And she said the level of national terrorist threat in Great Britain – currently set at ‘moderate’, while NI is assessed to be ‘severe’ – remains under constant review.

Staff at all military establishments are said to have been warned to be vigilant, while Royal Mail has also been briefed on the issue.

Prime Minister David Cameron has also chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee to discuss the packages.

Intelligence chiefs as well as government officials and senior police officers attended the briefing.

Detective Superintendant Stan Gilmore, of the South East counter-terrorism unit, said the devices are believed to pose a “low-level” threat.

“The contents of the packages are suspicious in nature and will now be sent off for forensic examination,” he explained.

“Even if the contents are determined to be a viable device, they pose a very low-level threat and are unlikely to cause significant harm or damage.

“When a suspect package is reported we have a routine response which means we may need to evacuate the area if necessary until we can be sure it poses no threat to the public.

“While this can cause concern and disruption for local communities, it is a necessary precaution until we know what we are dealing with.”

Political representatives have condemned the attacks.