A Mexican Senator's Escape Points to the Importance of Mail Screening

MIN READJun 4, 2019 | 09:00 GMT

(Bruce Stanfield/Shutterstock)

Mexican senator Citlalli Hernandez Mora was working late in her office May 29 when she opened a package containing a thick red hardback book sent to her as a gift. As she opened the cover of the book, it triggered one of the pipe bombs contained within a hollowed-out compartment inside the weighty tome. Fortunately for the senator, the pipe bomb burst into flame instead of detonating, only burning her lightly and causing some thermal damage to the items on her desk. Criminals, terrorists and mentally disturbed individuals have sometimes sent package bombs. Past bombings such as those carried out by the Unabomber and the March 2018 Austin, Texas, package bomber have demonstrated that not all recipients of package bombs are high-profile individuals. Because of this, everyone should take a few simple steps to protect themselves and their families from package bombs....