UK churches told to stop services in anonymous letters threatening attacks

Handwritten letters threatening petrol bomb attacks and mass stabbings have been sent to 15 churches in the UK in the past two months. “Stop all your services straight away”, said one letter sent to a church in Sheffield, South Yorkshire “if you don’t your church will be petrol bombed while in service. Continue behind closed doors and your congregation members will be stabbed one by one. Blood on your hands. You have been warned.” One of the handwritten letters, bearing a West Midlands post mark, was sent to a Sheffield church, demanding that it stop services or risk being bombed Services are continuing and police officers have been deployed to the churches affected. A local faith school decided to withdraw pupils from services at the Sheffield church after they received the threatening letter. A police investigation has been opened.