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Every day, somewhere in the United States, a suspicious package or letter ends up caught by the U.S. Postal Service, in U.S. Customs, in the transportation pipeline or at an enterprise mailroom.
Some are mail bombs or resembling a mail bomb. Others contain biological materials or the threat of containing a biological or chemical threat.
Real mail bombs are usually set to explode immediately on opening, with the intention of seriously injuring or killing the recipient. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sources, parcel bombs often have excessive postage so the bomber can avoid over-the-post office-counter service, or because that person doesn't want the package returned postage due. Letter bombs may feel rigid, or appear uneven or lopsided. Package bombs may have an irregular shape, soft spots or bulges. Oil or grease stains are also indicated as warning signs.
A related threat is mail containing unidentified powders or chemicals. In some cases, these turn out to be harmless, sent as a joke or hoax threat.
According to international police records, the world's first mail bomb was from Martin Ekenberg, who, in August 1904, targeted business CF.O Karl Fredrik I.undin in Stockholm. It was made or a box loaded with bullets and explosives.
MAIL BOMBS
The most famous? Theodore Kaczynski, the "Unabomber," killed three and injured 23 in a series of mail bombings in the U.S. from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
Early this year, a bomber calling himself "The Bishop" sent several unassembled bombs to financial firms in the United States. A man arrested last April has been linked to "The Bishop," the mysterious and elusive threat who sent mail bombs and threatening letters since 2005. He once worked as a mail carrier.
On the biological and chemical side, the most infamous attack was the 2001 anthrax attacks in the U.S. Occurring over several weeks from Sept. 18, 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were received by several news media offices and two U.S. Senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. While there are ongoing lawsuits, the crime remains unsolved.
The anthrax attacks came in two waves. The first set of anthrax letters had a Trenton, N.J. postmark. Five letters are believed to have been mailed at that time, to ABC News,...