A Cambridge school caretaker has been arrested in connection with a spate of letter bombs across Britain. Miles Cooper, 26, was arrested at 3am on February 19 and is being questioned over seven homemade explosive devices sent to companies across Britain. Five of the packages exploded and nine people were injured.

Assistant Chief Constable Anton Setchell, National Co-ordinator for domestic extremism, told press on Wednesday that “Police have been granted a further extension of 24 hours to question a man from the Cherry Hinton area of Cambridge who was arrested in connection with a police investigation into a series of postal improvised explosive devices”. Some of the parcels were specifically directed at businesses with connections to forensic science laboratories, and others were sent to traffic enforcement organisations including the Head Office of the Driving and Vehicles Licensing Agency in Swansea.

Two of the packages contained the names of two animal rights activists, but police are still uncertain of the purpose of the letter bomb spate. SPEAK Political, the animal rights based political party, has been quick to disassociate itself from the attacks. Robert Cogswell, chief spokesmen for SPEAK Political, stressed that, “we are not responsible for the actions”. But SPEAK Political have refused to denounce the illegal acts of animal rights extremists, comparing their campaign to the events of the Holocaust and South African apartheid as a struggle that is “above man-made laws”, maintaining that “in certain circumstances it can be acceptable to break them”.

Cogswell admitted that, “there is a very real need to break down stereotypes of animal rights campaigners as nutters and extremists” and declared his “wholehearted condemnation” for any actions which harmed living beings. But he emphasised that he would continue to support non-violent illegal actions by animal rights campaigners as long as the “hypocrisy of the British judicial system prevented the abuse of animals in the public sphere whilst covertly allowing for their institutional abuse within the laboratory.” He added “Britain is a nation of animal lovers and there is an amazing amount of support in the public”.

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary expressed concern over the attacks. Outside Parliament, John Reid stated that the events were “worrying”, and at Prime Minister’s Questions Mr Blair told the House of Commons that events were being monitored “very closely”. The devices, which were all crudely homemade and dispatched in A5 jiffy-styled envelopes to addresses in southern England, the Midlands and Wales, are currently under forensic examination.

there is a very real need to break down stereotypes of animal rights campaigners as nutters

The arrest of Cooper, who was employed as a caretaker of the Teversham Church of England Primary School, has come as a shock to Cambridge residents and those associated with the school. It was closed for two days while police searched the premises. The home Cooper shares with his mother and sister was also searched. Cooper has not been formally linked with the letter bomb sent to Cambridge Labour Party Headquarters last August, but election agent Alex Mayer has been kept up to date on the ongoing police investigations. Mr Russ McPherson, councillor of the Cherry Hinton ward of Cambridge, declined to comment on the arrest, but was keen to stress to Varsity that Cambridge is an “absolutely” safe region. He added, “We have one of the lowest crime figures in the country and Cherry Hinton is one of the safest regions in Cambridge”.

Datshiane Navanayagam