Get FREE email updates for West London Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. I'M IN! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice An employee at Heathrow's office building opened a makeshift mail bomb , which caught fire, sparking a huige evacuation. Police have revealed packages sent to the Compass Centre, behind Heathrow's perimeter fence on Bath Road, along with those sent to London City Airport and London Waterloo station on Tuesday (March 5) are all linked. Metropolitan Police said all three mail bombs , sent to the busy transport hubs, were sent in A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags. While an employee opened the improvised explosive device at the office building, the London City Airport and Waterloo packages were not opened, and dealt with by specialist explosives officers. (Image: PA) Counter terrorism officers have now launched a joint investigation into the packages, which have been identified as small improvised explosive devices. The bombs are understood to start a small fire when the envelope is first opened. Detectives say they are keeping an open mind regarding what motives the attackers may have had. They have not yet made any arrests in connection with the investigation. No flights or trains were affected at Heathrow, London City or London Waterloo as a result of the packages. What happened? At 9.55am, police were alerted to a worker opening the package and it catching fire at the Compass Centre in Nelson Road, Hounslow. The package burnt, but the building was evacuated as a precaution. At 11.40am, specialist BTP officers were called to Waterloo station's post room, where a suspicious package was reported. This time, the package wasn't opened, and it was made "safe" by specialist officers. Small cordons are still in place on Cab Road, but the station was not evacuated. Shortly after, at 12.10pm, Met Police were called to London City Airport after reports of a similar package. It was not opened this time either, but the DLR and all roads leading to the airport, were closed "as a precaution". Flights were not affected and nobody was injured in the scare. City Aviation House, the offices where the package was sent, has since reopened, after the device was made safe. Transport hubs have been put on alert by the Met, and are asking Londoners to be "vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police".<doc-sep>Parcel bombs have been discovered at Heathrow airport, London City airport and Waterloo railway station in what police believe is a coordinated campaign. Counterterror officers are investigating the three devices following a series of evacuations on Tuesday. Images of the parcel bombs suggested they had been sent from the Republic of Ireland, with false sender's addresses in Dublin written on the outside. A spokesperson for the Gardai said: “We are assisting the Metropolitan Police with their enquiries.” One of the packages was opened by office staff at Heathrow and burst into flames, but police said no one was injured. Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Show all 7 1 /7 Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain An improvised explosive device that was sent to The Compass Centre at London Heathrow Airport. The package burst into flames upon opening AFP/Getty Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain An improvised explosive device that was sent to London City Airport AFP/Getty Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain An improvised explosive device that was sent to London's Waterloo train station AFP/Getty Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Emergency responders are seen outside Glasgow University after a suspicious package was found Lilli Schlossbach/Reuters Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Counter-terror police investigated a suspicious package at Heathrow on Tuesday 5 March AP Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain London's Waterloo station was closed after a suspicious package was found on Tuesday 5 March PA Suspicious packages delivered to various locations in Britain Counter-terror police investigated a suspicious package at London City Airport on Tuesday 5 March PA Scotland Yard has not ruled out the existence of other bombs, and has issued advice to transport hubs across London “to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police”. “The packages – all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags – have been assessed by specialist officers to be small improvised explosive devices,” a spokesperson said. “These devices, at this early stage of the investigation, appear capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened. “The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is treating the incidents as a linked series and is keeping an open mind regarding motives.” A spokesperson would not comment further on the origin of the parcels or suggestions of a possible “Irish dissident plot”. Photos of two of the parcels appeared to show identical packages addressed by hand, in the same handwriting and using the same pen. The stamps used were from a limited 2018 Valentine’s Day range produced by Ireland’s An Post service, featuring the words "Love Eire N". Officers were first called to reports of a suspicious package at the Compass Centre, an office building in the grounds of Heathrow airport, shortly before 10am. The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate and burst into flames, but no one was injured. Police officers secure the scene at Waterloo (Reuters) (REUTERS) Police said the building was evacuated as a precaution and specialist officers “made the device safe”. The building remains closed as enquiries continue and flights at Heathrow have not been affected. The second device was reported at 11.40am, when British Transport Police were called to investigate a suspicious package in the post room at Waterloo railway station. The package was not opened and no one was injured. Police made the device safe and have cordoned off a small area outside the station, with trains continuing to run. The third device was reported shortly after midday at Civil Aviation House, an office building next to London City airport in east London. The package was not opened but staff were evacuated as a precaution as officers made the device safe. The building has been reopened. DLR train services to London City airport were suspended but are now fully operational, and flights were not affected. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “While transport services continue to operate as normal, I urge all Londoners and visitors to our city to remain vigilant, and report any potential suspicious packages to the police.” It came after a series of parcel bombings hit Texas last year, killing two people and injuring five before the perpetrator blew himself up. In 2017, a Greek anarchist group claimed responsibility for sending parcel bombs to EU officials and the International Monetary Fund. A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are doing everything we can to support the police with their investigation and to ensure the safety and security of our people as they deliver the mail to communities across the UK. “Royal Mail has rigorous procedures in place to deal with suspect devices and trained personnel who manage these situations. All our employees are regularly briefed on these types of issues.”<doc-sep>Ireland's police service said on Tuesday it was helping British colleagues investigate who mailed three small bombs to two of London's airports and a major rail station on Tuesday. No one was injured by the devices, one of which caused a small fire in an office building at Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest international air hub. Broadcaster Sky News said at least two of the packages had Irish stamps, and Ireland's police service subsequently confirmed it was helping British police to investigate. "The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is treating the incidents as a linked series and is keeping an open mind regarding motives," London's police force said, declining to comment immediately on a possible Irish link. Conflict over the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland claimed thousands of lives from the late 1960s through to the Good Friday peace agreement in 1998, mostly in Northern Ireland but also in mainland Britain and the Republic of Ireland. Small groups opposed to the Good Friday Agreement have remained active since. The United Kingdom is on its second-highest level of terrorism alert, with security services seeing an attack by international terrorists as "highly likely." In 2017, five attacks in London and Manchester killed a total of 36 people. However, the risk of Northern Ireland-related terrorism in mainland Britain was graded as "moderate", meaning an attack was viewed as possible but not likely. London police received the first report of a suspicious device, at Heathrow, at 0955 GMT after staff opened a package which caught fire. Later, a similar package was identified in the post room of London's busiest rail station, Waterloo, and a third was found in an office at London City airport in east London. Flights were unaffected, though a light rail line linking London City with central London was temporarily suspended.<doc-sep>
Three packages rigged as improvised explosive devices, one of which ignited, were found Tuesday near two London airports and a rail station. Officers discovered that the three postal bags were small IEDs, which appeared "capable of igniting an initially small fire when opened," according to the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command. Investigators said they are "treating the incidents as a linked series." Photos obtained by Sky News are said to show two of the three packages found in London on March 5 that were rigged as improvised explosive devices. Photos have not been independently verified by NBC News. Obtained by Sky News The Metropolitan Police received the first report of a suspicious package at Heathrow Airport's administrative Compass Centre. Staff at the building had opened the package, and the device ignited and burned a part of the bag, police said. No one was injured but the building was evacuated, according to police. No flights were affected. The second package, which was not opened, was reported from a post room at the Waterloo rail station. The station was evacuated and the package was rendered safe by specialists, according to police. Trains operated normally. The third package, found at City Aviation House near London City Airport, also wasn't opened. The building was evacuated and the package was rendered safe, according to police. Flights were not affected, but Docklands Light Railway services to the airport were briefly interrupted. Photos of the packages, which have not been independently verified by NBC News, appear to show Irish postage. Police in Dublin told NBC News that they are assisting in the investigation into the packages. No arrests have been made, and police encouraged people at travel hubs to be vigilant and report any suspicious packages.