Arrest in US 'Bishop' bomb-threat case -agency

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Apr 25 (Reuters) Federal agents made an arrest in the case of a person known as ''The Bishop'' who has sent escalating threats, including unarmed bombs, to US financial firms, authorities said on Wednesday.

US Postal Inspection Service agents arrested an individual in Iowa today morning. Authorities would not release any details immediately but were scheduling a press conference for later in the day, inspection representative Lori Groen said.

The case has caused sweeping concern throughout the US financial services industry since someone calling themselves ''The Bishop'' started mailing violent threats and demands for certain stock manipulations to them about 18 months ago.

Those threats escalated with the mailing of two unarmed pipe bombs in January. American Century Investment Management Inc. in Kansas City received a threatening letter along with a functional pipe bomb on January 31. The bomb was dismantled without incident.

A day later, a similar note and bomb were received at the Chicago financial services firm of Perkins, Wolf, McDonnell and Co. The device had originally been mailed to the Janus Capital Group in Denver, but then was forwarded to Perkins, which is a subadviser to Janus.

American Century spokesman Chris Doyle said today the company had not had any official word from authorities but was relieved an arrest had been made.

''We're optimistic. We hope this is the guy,'' said Doyle.

The letters, which were sent to several firms from various states in the Midwest, demanded the companies take action to move specific stocks to a predetermined price, frequently .66. The letters made threats about kidnappings and killings if the recipients ignored instructions.

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