Cornish separatists threaten attacks

LONDON, June 14 (UPI) -- A Cornish extremist group in England is threatening arson attacks on restaurants owned by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein.

Police say they are taking threats from the Cornwall National Liberation Army seriously, and have assembled a task force to investigate, The Sun newspaper said.

A spokeswoman for the Cornwall Tourist Board, however, said the group consists of just a handful of locals.

"This is only a tiny, tiny minority and does not represent 99.9 per cent of the people in Cornwall," Teresa Timms said. "People need not be concerned about their holidays. We will continue to provide the same warm welcome that we always have."

The group claims to have international funding and said one of its members is a former Welsh nationalist who burned holiday homes in the 1980s, the newspaper said.