French Parcel Bomb Could Be Linked To Erika Spill

French police found a parcel bomb near an Elf motorway service station last week, and a government official said it could have been meant as a protest against the oil spill from the tanker Erika. A spokesman for the government representative in the area said the hitherto unknown Armed Group for the Protection of the Environment claimed responsibility by telephone for the device, which was discovered north of Paris.

Police cleared the service station and adjoining restaurant while a bomb squad defused the device. The spokesman said the attack could be linked with last December's oil spill from the tanker Erika, which had been chartered by TotalFina, but added, "at the moment we do not know."