Threat to bomb Post Office and shoot staff
APOSTMASTER has spoken of his shock and anger after receiving a malicious letter threatening to bomb his Post Office and shoot his staff with a sniper rifle.
Ifthakhar Sarwar, who runs the Scaitcliffe branch on Garbett Street in Accrington, received the letter on Tuesday morning from a man claiming to be a member of a far-right organisation.
Addressed to ‘the terrorist postmaster’, it warned that a ‘very strong’ explosive device had been placed inside the building and would be detonated unless he brought out bags of cash with no dyes or tracking devices.
It also states that staff could be shot with a sniper rifle and any deviation from the instructions would ‘result in mass casualties’.
Mr Sarwar said he was forced to close the Post Office for several hours and police bosses confirmed that ‘a number’ of similar letters were sent to other branches across East Lancashire.
Patrols have been increased across the area, but Lancashire Police said they believe there ‘wasn’t any direct threat’.
Speaking to the Observer, Mr Sarwar said: “It just made me so angry when I got the letter. It’s implying that I’m a terrorist and I need to be punished for a crime. It’s totally out of order and isn’t a joke. I have been here nearly 20 years and never had a problem with anybody.
“From what I can tell it was probably a hoax but you have got to treat these things seriously.
“We are not the only Post Office to get the letter. I believe five or six others also got it. It’s not right, especially this close to Christmas. Our customers are relying on us and we had to close for half a day.”
A Post Office Spokesperson said: “We are aware of some threatening letters that have been sent to Post Office branches in the East Lancashire area and we are continuing to assist police with their investigations. We take matters like this very seriously and are supporting staff at all affected branches.”
Lancashire Police said specialist officers are working to determine the nature of the reports and are speaking directly to those involved.
A spokesperson said: “We understand that this may cause concern and we want to assure people that we are working closely with the post offices involved to ensure the safety of staff and customers.
“We are carrying out extensive enquiries to understand the full circumstances and although there is not currently believed to be any direct threat, as with any report of this nature, they are all being thoroughly investigated.
“We want to reassure people and patrols have been increased across the area.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting log 0743 of December 10.