Spanish officials: U.S. embassy in Madrid receives 1 of several letter bombs

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. embassy in Madrid was one of six locations in Spain that received letter bombs over the past week, apparently targeting supporters of Ukraine in its defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, Spanish officials said on Thursday.

The U.S. embassy confirmed that it received a "suspicious package," The New York Times and The Washington Post reported. The package was safely detonated with no injuries

"We thank the Spanish law enforcement for their help during this situation," the embassy said.

An employee at the Ukrainian embassy sustained non-life-threatening injuries when a similar letter bomb exploded upon inspection on Wednesday. Mercedes Gonzales, the Spanish government's representative for Madrid, said the explosion caused "a very small wound on the ring finger of the right hand" of the victim.

Another letter bomb addressed to the director of the European Union Satellite Center was intercepted Thursday morning at the Madrid headquarters of the Defense Ministry. Letter bombs were also sent to the Satellite Center of Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base and Instalaza, a Spanish arms company, manufactures the grenade launchers that Spain has provided to Ukraine to defend itself during an ongoing invasion by Russia.

All of the bombs were intercepted before they could cause any damage or injuries.

Spanish officials also confirmed on Thursday that another was sent to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Nov. 24 before it was intercepted.

Spain's Interior Ministry said the letter bomb delivered to Sanchez was "similar in its characteristics and content" to the one received by the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid.

The letter bomb sent to the presidential Moncloa palace was identified as suspicious upon its arrival, sparking a call for a bomb squad. The discovery led to increased security at public buildings and postal checks.

"Officers from both the Policia Nacional and the Guardia Civil went to the base to seal off the area and police investigators are analyzing the envelope, which was addressed to the satellite center," a spokesman for Spain's Interior Ministry said.

Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday the nation has stepped up security measures around postal deliveries at all of its embassies.