Letter Bomb from Athens Sent to Prominent Jewish Journalist

A prominent New York Jewish journalist was the recipient yesterday of a letter bomb, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned today. According to a well-informed source, the letter bomb was postmarked Athens, Greece. The return address was the King George Hotel in that city and the sender’s name was a Rabbi Zombrowski. The source said this was apparently a fictitious name. The recipient, known to the JTA, Said the letter was turned over to postal authorities in New York. The FBI, which was investigating the incident, declined to comment on any aspect of the case.

At the same time, the police department and its bomb squad division and the FBI were maintaining strict silence today about the two cars found yesterday with explosive devices near two Israeli installations. Full-scale investigations, however, are being conducted. One car was found near the El Al freight terminal at Kennedy Airport. The second car was in front of the Israel Discount Bank on Fifth Avenue. Both cars had been rented from car rental agencies, but the identity of the agencies and the persons renting the cars has not been released officially.

The car in front of the bank was towed away by the city’s police department because it was parked illegally in a tow-away zone. The car agency discovered the explosives when it sought to retrieve the automobile from the police pound where it had been towed on Monday. Police officials declined to describe what was in it. The FBI said only that there is “no comment at this time.” A spokesman for the police department’s bomb squad division said information concerning both cars was “classified information.” The same answers were given by police and FBI spokesmen when the JTA sought to find out how much damage would have been caused had the devices exploded.

Other sources, however, noted that the combination of propane gas and explosives found in the car near the El Al Terminal and similar material in the second car would have caused extensive damage had the devices detonated. One source replied: “Only God knows what would have happened. To the best of my knowledge, the combination of the materials found was very dangerous.” The explosive devices in both cars were dismantled by police.

Meanwhile, it was reported that no extra security measures were being taken at any Jewish or Israeli installations in the city in the wake of yesterday’s incidents. “Regular security is continuing,” one spokesman told the JTA. “There are no special increases in security. The security we have now is quite adequate.” Police officials and Jewish sources declined to speculate on who might be responsible for the bombing attempts. Both incidents took place while Israeli Premier Golda Meir was visiting the city and two weeks after a Libyan commercial airliner was downed by Israeli jets over the Sinai.