Bank CEO gets letter bomb
The CEO of Deutsche Bank one of the largest banks in the world received a letter bomb Wednesday, but didn't open it. Authorities are focusing on an Italian anarchist group.
German authorities say a piece of mail sent to Deutsche Bank chief Josef Ackermann was a fully functional letter bomb capable of exploding.
German prosecutors and police in Hesse state said in a joint statement that a suspicious letter addressed personally to Ackermann and intercepted at the mail room of the bank's Frankfurt headquarters on Wednesday "involved a fully functional letter bomb."
Authorities gave no further details Thursday, citing an ongoing investigation.
The New York Police Department warned local banks to bolster mailroom security Wednesday after the bomb was discovered.
Paul J. Browne, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of public information, told FoxNews.com that additional police officers were deployed to Deutsche Bank locations throughout the city to exercise "an abundance of caution," after the device, which was made of explosives and shrapnel, was found.
It was unclear where the package originated, but the construction of the device is evidence that it was not sophisticated, sources say. The bank would only confirm that a suspicious envelope was sent to the company and “the relevant unit of the bank informed the police.”
Ackermann has played a key role in resolving Europe’s financial crisis and has been an advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
U.S. officials said there are no strong leads, but named three possible scenarios, including Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group behind last year’s cargo printer bombs. Authorities are also looking into Iran’s recent threat to U.S. troops stationed in Germany. There is also a chance the package was sent by a lone wolf group.
Ackermann, along with other Deutsche Bank executives, are being investigated over alleged false testimony they gave during a major civil lawsuit in Germany, which raises additional questions about the origins of the package. Reuters reported that Ackermann is one of the few executives in Germany always surrounded by bodyguards.