Letter Bomb Incidents
During the period December 1996 to January 1997, sixteen letter bombs disguised as holiday greeting cards were delivered through the mail to recipients in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Thirteen of the letter bombs were received at the offices of the Al Hayat newspaper in New York City, Washington, D.C., and London, United Kingdom. One bomb exploded in London, seriously injuring two innocent people.
Three other letter bombs were discovered in the United States at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
All the letter bombs bore a December 21, 1996 Alexandria, Egypt postmark and contained no return address. These bombs were in plain white envelopes, with computer-generated addresses. There were other markings on the envelopes, as illustrated by the photographs.
Anyone receiving similar letters should use extreme caution and should not handle the envelopes in any way. These envelopes should only be opened by qualified explosives technicians.
Also see: Letter and Package Bomb Indicators
A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction, in any country, of the person or persons responsible for endangering lives with these letter bombs. A reward of up to $5 million may be paid to any person who furnishes such information. The money is available under a program to obtain information that helps punish those responsible for past international terrorist acts against U.S. persons or property and prevent future such attacks. The U.S. Government may also provide for the protection of identity and the possibility of relocation for persons who contribute such information and their families.
Persons wishing to report information about these dangerous letter bombs, other terrorist attacks, or the planning of future terrorist attacks, should contact the authorities or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
