Letter bombs spark calls for higher security levels

By Martin Banks

Date: 15/01/04

THE leader of the biggest political group in the European Parliament has called for stricter security measures in the wake of the letter-bomb attacks on EU institutions.

A joint task force, headed by the Italian interior ministry, has been set up to investigate the spate of incendiary devices sent to European Commission President Romano Prodi, MEPs and EU agencies.

An Italian group calling itself the Informal Anarchist Federation is believed to be behind the campaign.

The booby-trapped devices, primed to set alight after being opened, were all sent from Bologna, Italy.

After the initial reported attack near Prodi's home in the city, the anarchist group sent a letter to an Italian newspaper saying it was opposed to the EU and claiming that the attack was carried out "so the pig knows that the manoeuvres have only begun to get close to him and others like him".

On 31 December, the Bologna prosecutor's office ordered the interception of all mail from the region of Emilia-Romagna addressed to EU institutions. But the devices opened at the Parliament last week were sent before the measures came into effect.

Security at Commission offices in Brussels and Luxembourg has been stepped up since the attacks and Parliament's 626 members have been warned to be especially vigilant in the next few weeks.

Each has received an email advising them about the tell-tale signs to look out for when examining a package. The most obvious is a Bologna postmark.

German MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering, leader of the European People's Party, who was sent a letter bomb that burst into flames when it was opened by one of his staff, said the wave of attacks had highlighted the need for improved safety procedures.

"The security services need to look very closely at what has been happening and there needs to be stricter security measures," he added.

European Parliament President Pat Cox described the attacks as "a criminal conspiracy against democracy", while Socialist group leader Enrique Barón Crespo branded the attacks a "violation of the most fundamental rules of behaviour".

Parliament's spokesman David Harley said the assembly's security officials were working with Belgian police to rescan about 100,000 items of post sent to the Parliament. An inquiry would be carried out to assess what further security measures might be required, he added.

Analysts have said that a lack of effective cross-border cooperation may have made it easier for those responsible to target the EU institutions.

Heather Grabbe, director of research at the Centre for European Reform in London, said anti-terrorist cooperation in the EU was "incredibly fragmented" and "very ad-hoc".

The task force investigating the attacks is led by Bologna's chief prosecutor Enrico Di Nicola and includes terrorism experts from other EU countries. It will spend two months gathering data on "anarchist insurrection" in member states before making recommendations to police.

Belgian police are also investigating how the so-called Euro-bomber was able to penetrate security screening at the Parliament in Brussels.

An MEP from the UK Independence Party has been condemned after describing the letter bombs as the "price of forcing a political ideal on people".

Nigel Farage said his party had predicted ten years ago that the path the EU was taking could end in civil unrest.

But UK Socialist deputy Gary Titley, one of those who were targeted in the terror attacks, branded his comments as "despicable".

"This is about the worst thing I have heard in my entire time in politics. It is outrageous to make a cheap political point out of a terrorist act," he said.

Security at European Commission offices in Belgium and Luxembourg has been stepped up following a spate of letter-bomb attacks on European Union institutions. The devices were all sent from Bologna in Italy, and a joint task force headed by the Italian Interior Ministry is carrying out an investigation.