A letter bomb exploded at an office in the heart of central London on Monday, injuring one woman employee, officials said.
The police Counter Terrorism Command unit was investigating but it was not immediately clear if the motive was “terrorism or criminal,” a police source told Reuters.
Police said the area in Victoria Street in central London was cordoned off after they received reports of a suspicious package at the office in an imposing red brick building.
“One woman, an employee in the premises, was injured and taken to a local hospital where she is currently being assessed but we think that the injuries are fairly minor,” police Chief Superintendent Ian Thomas said.
A London ambulance spokesman said an ambulance crew had treated the woman before taking her to a hospital.
Fire crews set up a 50-yard exclusion zone around the scene, a Fire Brigade official said. Police sent in sniffer dogs to the street, one of the main arteries in London, which was plunged into traffic chaos.
Police said a small package or a letter had exploded at the office, which is not far from Scotland Yard police headquarters on the busy street that leads from Victoria railway station to the British Parliament.
A police source told Reuters, “The key for us is to find out who the letter or package was addressed to.”
The injured woman was believed to have suffered injuries to her hand and cuts to her body, the source said.