Spanish Prime Minister and U.S. Embassy latest targets in series of letter bombs

Spanish officials said they would be increasing security measures after numerous letter bombs were discovered in the country, including one sent to the prime minister and another to the U.S. Embassy, CNN reports.

The latest bomb was detected Thursday afternoon after it was sent to the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. A police source told CNN that the explosive was intercepted at the security post of the embassy. The letter was then detonated in a controlled environment without injuring anyone, per U.S. officials. Security at the embassy was increased after other embassies received suspicious packages on Wednesday.

A representative of the U.S. State Department said it "will continue to evaluate the security situation and provide updates as appropriate. The US Embassy in Madrid remains open for American Citizen Services. We thank Spanish law enforcement for their assistance."

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The latest bomb was the sixth in a spate of letter bombs sent throughout the country over the last few weeks, per CNN. Earlier that day, authorities also discovered a bomb sent to an air force base near Madrid. The previous day, another bomb exploded at the Ukrainian embassy, and authorities deactivated another at a local arms manufacturer. The letter sent to the embassy was addressed to Ukraine's ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, per NBC News.

On Nov. 24, a package addressed to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was signaled out by his security detail as suspicious. An interior ministry statement says that after securing the perimeter, they conducted a "controlled explosion" of the envelope, CNN reports.