Mail service is resuming in Iowa this morning as the F-B-I, A-T-F and postal inspectors try to determine who placed at least 14 bombs in rural mailboxes since Friday in eastern Iowa, western Illinois and eastern Nebraska. Six bombs went off, injuring seven people, four of them were letter carriers. Postal Service spokesman Richard Watkins is making a request.He says Iowans with curbside mailboxes are asked to leave their mailbox doors open so letter carriers can see there’s nothing suspicious inside. If the door is shut, carriers will try to drop the mail off someplace safe at the house. Watkins says if something looks wrong with your mail or the mailbox, don’t touch it.Watkins says mail delivery may be slower today, but it -will- proceed.Watkins says letter carriers will put the mail as far back as they can in the mailboxes to keep the mail from the elements, but they will not shut the doors. That way, residents too will be able to see if there’s anything suspicious. He says the bombs that were discovered did not move through the mail.Acting Dubuque Postmaster Kevin Botsford says carriers are cautious.Botsford says his letter carriers never imagined they’d be subjected to what he called “an act of war.” Botsford says society has changed, though, and there’s no 100-percent safe occupation anymore. Of the 14 mailbox bombs found, six exploded, four in Iowa, two in Illinois. Anti-government notes were left with many of the bombs. The letters were typed and in plastic bags. The F-B-I is working to create a profile of the suspect. Watkins says this is a priority case. He says they’re confident they will be able to find the culprit.Among the two devices found Sunday in Nebraska, one was fake and an 18-year-old man was arrested for the prank.
