In the United Kingdom, a series of seven letter bombs were sent during January and February 2007 to various companies and agencies, all related in some way to

DNA testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

and

road transport Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...

. Police said that some of the letters were hand written and some typed. All seven letter bombs were sent in A5 Jiffy-style envelopes. Sky News
On 19 February 2007, Miles Cooper was arrested, and appeared in court on 23 February charged with 12 offences relating to the case. On 27 September, he was found guilty of all 12 charges.

Locations and injuries

* On 18 January a device was sent to the Forensic Science Service in

Chelmsley Wood Chelmsley Wood, sometimes called just Chelmsley, is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, with a population of 12,453. It is located near Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre ...

, West Midlands. On the same day, another device was sent to Orchid Cellmark in Abingdon near

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and another to a company, LGC Forensics, located at

Culham Science Centre The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) is the UK's national laboratory for fusion research. It is located at the Culham Science Centre, near Culham, Oxfordshire, and is the site of the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) and the now closed Jo ...

, near Abingdon. These three incidents were believed to be the work of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

extremists. On the back of one of those envelopes, sent to one of the firms in Abingdon, was the name of Barry Horne, an animal rights activist who died in 2001 while serving an 18-year jail sentence for a

firebombing Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs. In popular usage, any act in which an incendiary d ...

campaign in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. * On 3 February a device was sent to a private house in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. It was addressed to the "Senior Manager" of a dissolved security company that used to be run from the address. The man, Mike Wingfield, 53, suffered minor injuries to his hands, face and stomach. BBC News
* On 5 February, a device was sent to the

Capita Capita plc is an international business process outsourcing and professional services company headquartered in London. It is the largest business process outsourcing and professional services company in the United Kingdom, with an overall ma ...

centre in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, London, that deals with the

congestion charge Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand, such as through higher peak charges for use of bus services, electricity, metros, railways, tel ...

in London. One person was injured, and later admitted into hospital with minor injuries to her hands and stomach. * On 6 February, a device was sent to the accountancy firm Vantis plc in

Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. The accountancy firm acted as the

registered office A registered office is the official address of an incorporated company, association or any other legal entity. Generally it will form part of the public record and is required in most countries where the registered organization or legal entity ...

of Speed Check Services Limited, a company that provided digital speed cameras to police. Two men received minor injuries, but did not need hospitalisation. * On 7 February, a device was sent to the main

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; ) is the organisation of the Government of the United Kingdom, British government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a Vehicle register, database of vehicles f ...

centre in

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, south Wales. Four workers were taken to

Morriston Hospital Morriston Hospital () is a 750-bed hospital located in Cwmrhydyceirw near Morriston in Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. Alongside its role as a district general hospital, Morriston is a teaching hospital f ...

in Swansea.

Miles Cooper

Miles Cooper, a 27-year-old former

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

caretaker from

Cherry Hinton Cherry Hinton is a village and electoral ward in Cambridge, England. As of the 2021 UK census, the ward's population was 9,343 people. History The rectangular parish of Cherry Hinton occupies the western corner of Flendish hundred on the ...

near

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

in the United Kingdom, was arrested on 19 February 2007 in conjunction with the letter bombs, as a result of the Operation Hansel investigation. He appeared in court to answer 12 charges related to the bombings on 23 February 2007. Seven of these charges relate to the seven

letter bomb A letter bomb is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with the intention to injure or kill the recipient when opened. They have been used in terrorist attacks such as those of the Unabomber. Some countries have agenc ...

s, while the other five relate to the injuries caused by the successful bombs. All of the low-impact explosive devices were sent to state institutions and private companies that Cooper believed were connected to the rise in

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

society. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of intent to cause injury or death, claiming his actions were designed to draw attention to the issue of

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

government. He was convicted on 27 September 2007. On 28 September 2007, he was sentenced to an indeterminate term in prison. Sentencing him, Judge Julian Hall told Cooper "You are a terrorist, there can be no mistake", and said that he would have to serve 4 years and 149 days before he would be eligible to apply for parole. Judge Hall added "You come across as a quite unemotional young man with little empathy for others."

Police investigation

The police investigation was codenamed Operation Hansel. A number of UK news media reported on 19 February that a man had been arrested in connection with a series of letter bomb attacks. On 22 February the suspect, Miles Cooper, was charged with seven offences under the

Explosive Substances Act 1883 The Explosive Substances Act 1883 ( 46 & 47 Vict. c. 3) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It makes it illegal to use (or conspire or intend to use) any explosive substance to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause ...

and with five offences against the person. Cooper pleaded not guilty, and on 27 September 2007 was found guilty on all 12 charges.

References

Reuters – Two hurt in second mailbomb.
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BBC – 6 Feb 2007 – Two hurt in MailbombBBC – 5 Feb 2007 – Woman injured at CapitaWarning after new bomb blastBBC In picturesBBC NewsName of second activist on bomb BBC News
Genetics in the United Kingdom Improvised explosive device bombings in 2007 Letter bombs Improvised explosive device bombings in England Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2007 January 2007 in the United Kingdom February 2007 in the United Kingdom Letter and package bombings 2007 in England

Locations and injuries

Miles Cooper

Police investigation

See also

References