Miles Cooper letter bomb campaign: Difference between revisions

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Line 1: {{Short description\|2007 terrorist incident in the UK}} In the [[United Kingdom]], a series of seven '''[[mailbomb\|letter bombs]]''' were sent during January and February 2007 to various companies and agencies, all related in some way to [[DNA testing]] and [[road transport]]. Police said that some of the letters were hand written and some typed. All seven letter bombs were sent in [[ISO 216\|A5]] [[Sealed Air Corporation\|Jiffy]]-style envelopes.<ref name = "Sky">[http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1250528,00.htm Sky News].</ref> On 19 February 2007, Miles Cooper was arrested and (on 23 February) appeared in court charged with 12 offences relating to the case. On 27 September, he was found guilty of all 12 charges.▼ {{Use dmy dates\|date=April 2022}} ▲In the [[United Kingdom]], a series of seven ~~'''~~[[mailbomb\|letter bombs]]~~'''~~ were sent during January and February 2007 to various companies and agencies, all related in some way to [[DNA testing]] and [[road transport]]. Police said that some of the letters were hand written and some typed. All seven letter bombs were sent in [[ISO 216\|A5]] [[Sealed Air Corporation\|Jiffy]]-style envelopes.<ref name = "Sky">[http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1250528,00.htm Sky News].</ref> On 19 February 2007, Miles Cooper was arrested, and ~~(on 23 February)~~ 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]], [[West Midlands (region)\|West Midlands]]. On the same day, another device was sent to [[Orchid Cellmark]] in [[Abingdon,-on-Thames\|Abingdon]] ~~Oxfordshire~~near [[Oxford]], and another to a company, [[LGC Ltd\|LGC Forensics]], located inat [[Culham Science Centre]], near Abingdon. These three incidents were believed to be the work of [[animal rights]] extremists. On the back of one of those envelopes, sent to one of the firms in Abingdon, was the name of [[Barry Horne (activist)\|Barry Horne]], an animal rights activist who died in 2001 while serving an 18-year jail sentence for a [[firebombing]] campaign in [[Bristol]]. ▼ * On 3 February a device was sent to a private house in [[Folkestone]], [[Kent]]. 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. <ref name = "BBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6338519.stm BBC News].</ref>▼ * On 5 February, a device was sent to the [[Capita Group\|Capita]] centre in [[Victoria, London\|Victoria]], London, that deals with the [[London congestion charge\|congestion charge]] 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]], [[Berkshire]]. The accountancy firm acted as the [[registered office]] 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]] centre in [[Swansea]], south Wales. Four workers were taken to [[Morriston Hospital]] in Swansea.▼ ==Miles Cooper== Miles Cooper, a 27 -year-old former [[primary school]] [[property caretaker\|caretaker]] from [[Cherry Hinton]] near [[Cambridge]] in the United Kingdom, was arrested on 19 February 2007 in conjunction with the ~~2007~~ letter bombs ~~campaign~~, 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]]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]] society. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of intent to cause injury or death,<ref>[http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/indepth/2007/mail%20bomber/mail%20bomber.lpf "Letter bomb suspect's not guilty plea in court"]{{dead link\|date=January 2018 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }}, Cambridge Evening News, 23 May 2007</ref>, claiming his actions were designed to draw attention to the issue of [[authoritarian]] government. He was convicted on 27 September 2007.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7016511.stm "Jury finds letter bomber guilty"], BBC News, 27 September 2007</ref>. 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.<ref>{{cite news\| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7017943.stm \| work=BBC News \| title=Letter-bombing caretaker jailed \| date=28 September 2007 \| accessdate=12 May 2010}}</ref> Judge Hall added "You come across as a quite unemotional young man with little empathy for others."<ref>[{{cite web\|url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=letter-bomber-jailed-for-at-least-five-years&method=full&objectid=19864975&siteid=50082-name_page.html\|title=WalesOnline: ~~Letter~~News, ~~bomber~~sport, ~~jailed~~weather ~~for~~and atevents ~~least~~from ~~five~~across ~~years - icWales<!-- Bot generated title -->]~~Wales\|publisher=}}</ref> ▲==Locations and injuries== ▲* On 18 January a device was sent to the [[Forensic Science Service]] in [[Chelmsley Wood]], [[West Midlands (region)\|West Midlands]]. On the same day, another device was sent to Orchid Cellmark in [[Abingdon, Oxfordshire]], and another to a company, LGC Forensics, located in [[Culham]], near Abingdon. These three incidents were believed to be the work of [[animal rights]] 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]] campaign in [[Bristol]]. ▲* On 3 February a device was sent to a private house in [[Folkestone]], [[Kent]]. 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. <ref name = "BBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6338519.stm BBC News].</ref> ▲* On 5 February, a device was sent to the [[Capita Group\|Capita]] centre in [[Victoria, London\|Victoria]], London, that deals with the [[London congestion charge\|congestion charge]] 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]], [[Berkshire]]. The accountancy firm acted as the [[registered office]] 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]] centre in [[Swansea]], south Wales. Four workers were taken to [[Morriston Hospital]] in Swansea. == 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. <ref>{{cite news\|url=~~http~~https://www.~~guardian~~theguardian.~~co.uk~~com/crime/article/0,,2016484,00.html\|title=Police arrest letter bombs suspect\|publisher=The Guardian\|date=2007-02-19\|accessdate=2007-02-19 \| location=London}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6375131.stm\|title=Letter bomb suspect is arrested\|publisher=BBC News\|date=2007-02-19\|accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> On 22 February the suspect, Miles Cooper, was charged with seven offences under the [[Explosive Substances Act 1883]] and with five offences against the person.<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6387867.stm\|title=Man charged over letter bombings\|publisher=BBC\|date=2007-02-22\|accessdate=2007-02-22}}</ref>. Cooper pleaded not guilty, and on 27 September 2007 was found guilty on all 12 charges. <ref>{{cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7012301.stm \|title=Trial Ongoing\|publisher=BBC News\|date=2007-09-25\|accessdate=2007-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7016511.stm\|title=Cooper convicted\|publisher=BBC News\|date=2007-09-27}}</ref> ==See also== Line 27 ⟶ 29: {{wikinews\|Letter bomb explodes near Scotland Yard in London, England}} {{reflist}} [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-02-06T183217Z_01_L06681205_RTRUKOC_0_UK-BRITAIN-LETTERBOMB.xml Reuters -– Two hurt in second mailbomb.]{{dead link\|date=May 2023\|bot=medic}}{{cbignore\|bot=medic}} [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/6334693.stm BBC -– 6 Feb 2007 -– Two hurt in Mailbomb] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6331427.stm BBC -– 5 Feb 2007 -– Woman injured at Capita] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6338829.stm Warning after new bomb blast] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6338743.stm BBC In pictures] Line 36 ⟶ 38: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6345325.stm Name of second activist on bomb BBC News] [[Category:~~Terrorist incidents~~Genetics in ~~2007~~the United Kingdom]] [[Category:~~Terrorism~~Improvised inexplosive ~~the~~device ~~United~~bombings in ~~Kingdom~~2007]] [[Category:2007 crimes in the United Kingdom\|Letter bombs]] [[Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in England]] [[Category:Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2007]] [[Category:January 2007 events in the United Kingdom]] ~~[[cy:Bomiau llythyr y Deyrnas Unedig 2007]]~~ [[Category:February 2007 events in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Letter and package bombings]] [[Category:2007 in England]]