Parcel bombs found at London airports and Waterloo station linked to devices sent to British Army in 2014
Parcel bombs that were found at Heathrow and London City airports as well as Waterloo station have been linked to those sent to army careers offices in 2014.
Police have said the packages, which were found at the three destinations in March, have links to seven letter bombs sent to the British Army recruitment centres five years ago. At the time Downing Street said the packages bore "the hallmarks of Northern Ireland-related terrorism".
Read more: Police investigating explosives at Waterloo and City and Heathrow Airports
Packages containing what police said were “small improvised explosive devices” arrived at the three locations back in March. The packages were A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags. One had a return address in Dublin on the front and what appeared to be Irish stamps.
A similar device was found at the University of Glasgow on 5 and 6 March.
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon said: "Our inquiries continue, but clearly a key element of the investigation now is the link between the devices previously sent in 2014, and the five sent earlier this year.
"As with any investigation, we will be led by the evidence, but at this stage our principal line of inquiry is that the devices were sent by a violent dissident republican group."
Dissident republican group the Irish Republican Army (IRA) later claimed responsibility for the packages.
Read more: The IRA claims responsibility for bombs targeting Heathrow and Waterloo
The IRA, sometimes called the new IRA in the media, was formed in 2012 when Republican Action Against Drugs and other small dissident republican groups merged with the Real IRA.
The Real IRA had split from the Provisional IRA in 1997 after the latter agreed to a ceasefire, while its political wing Sinn Fein admitted to peace talks and going on to support the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.