NEWS OF THE DAY BBC NEWS 1. Letter Bomb Attacks Target European Politicians.

News 1. Letter Bomb Attacks Target European Politicians.

 A letter bomb sent to British Labor MEP Gary Titley has exploded in his office

 in Bury Greater Manchester . Earlier, two devices were discovered in European

 Parliament in Brussels. One of them also exploded. There have been a series of letter bomb attacks

against European institutions over the past two weeks. Italian

anarchist group is suspected. Our Europe correspondent, Amy Jane Coby reports.

  Tight security in Bury tonight after the Christmas post turned up a shocking

surprise. At Labor MEP Gary Titley's office, the secretary was sorting through

the mail, when a Jiffy Bag exploded. No one was injured in the blast. But as

Greater Manchester police searched through the debris for clues this evening,

European politicians were angry they have been singled out as targets.

 'What these people are trying to do is basically strangle and stifle democratic life.

And really it's a question of standing up for the civilization we believe in, and the

society we believe in.'

  Earlier in the day, the European Parliament in Brussels was a scene of attacks.

The letter bomb exploded in this office of a German MEP. Another device was

found in the post bag of a Spanish politician. Police evacuated staff and no one

was hurt. These bombs are the latest in a series of explosive packages delivered

to various European institutions over the past two weeks. Similar devices to those

sent to Bury and Brussels today were also sent to the home of EU President,

Romano Prodi in Bologna, and to the head of the European Central Bank in

Frankfurt and to the headquarters of the EU crime fighting organizations in the Hague.

All the packages share a postmark from northern Italy. Police are now tightening

security across Europe. Tonight, they're warning EU employees to be on their

guard.