Another Madrid election candidate sent bullets in post after politicians & police receive death threats

Postal staff in Spain have intercepted another death threat sent to a candidate in the Madrid regional election, the Interior Ministry has said, as the campaign for the May 4 vote heats up.

The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday night that a threatening letter with two bullets enclosed had been sent to Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the premier of the capital's conservative PP party, who is seeking re-election.

The package had been sent from a post office in Catalonia, before workers discovered the item and informed police.

The head of Spain's Guardia Civil police force, Maria Gamez, also received a letter with bullets, the ministry said – the second such threat addressed to her in recent days.

The ministry said it is investigating the matter and “condemns these events and conveys its solidarity” to Diaz Ayuso and Gamez.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also condemned the threats, saying: "We must stop this spiral of hatred that directly attacks our values."

In the last week there have now been six death threats posted to public officials, one of which was sent to Diaz Ayuso's rival for the Madrid leadership, Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the left-wing Unidas Podemos alliance.

Last week Iglesias, the former deputy prime minister, received four bullets and a letter that called on him to resign and said he and his family were "sentenced to the death penalty."

Spain's interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska of the socialist PSOE party, and Guardia Civil chief Gamez received similar letters.

On Monday, Trade and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto also received a threatening letter, along with a pocketknife that appeared to be dotted with blood.

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