Thiruvananthapuram: Explosive experts from the Central Intelligence Bureau (CIB), New Delhi, on Friday examined the four undelivered `letter bombs' that were recovered by the State police. They also interacted for several hours with the special team investigating the case.

The experts opined that the bombs were fabricated by persons with considerable expertise in handling explosives. The `letter bombs' could have been lethal had the explosive been gelignite or RDX. This time, the explosive charge of potassium chlorate and aluminium powder was not potent enough to cause deadly damage.

The charge was connected to an electrical circuit powered by two "button cell" batteries of the type used in watches. The circuit would be completed the instant the envelope was opened. The heat generated would set off the charge.

The police were bracing for a long and drawn out investigation. The investigators were searching for possible clues in the components of the `letter bomb.' They were studying the material used in the mail bomb. The `envelope bombs' also contained pieces of printed paper on which communally provocative and seditious messages were written. The messages were written in a peculiar manner to conceal the natural handwriting of the author.

The police were also trying to decipher the hidden significance behind the timing of the `letter bombs,' two of which exploded on the day of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's visit. So far, there was no evidence to suggest that the mail bombs were the doing of a mischief maker. The police were probing whether any religious fundamentalist elements were behind the `letter bombs.'

The police were also investigating some of the persons to whom the `letter bombs' were addressed. Two of them had previously received threatening mail with seditious content, though only one had reported the matter to the police.

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