Letter causes embassy scare
Envelope containing white powder, later identified as baking soda, sent to Washington embassy
WASHINGTON - Scary moments: A local employee at Israel’s embassy in Washington came in contact with a white, unidentified substance after opening an envelope mailed to the mission, prompting security personnel to declare an emergency.
The substance was discovered at about 5 p.m. Washington time, with about 50 employees who were still in the building at the time forced to remain there. Shortly thereafter, Washington police arrived at the scene along with a specialized hazardous materials team.
The initial concern was that the substance could be anthrax. Subsequently, all employees who came in contact with the package underwent disinfection treatment, while officials shut down the air-conditioning system and adopted other measures common under such circumstances.
Letter features swastikas
Notably, Israeli Ambassador Danny Ayalon was not at the embassy at the time of the incident, as he was on his way to Israel to take part in meetings to be held by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her visit to the region.
Meanwhile, employees were forced to remain in the office until 10:30 p.m., at which time lab tests showed the unidentified substance was not hazardous. Later it was reported that the substance was positively identified as baking soda.
The envelope that contained the powder also included a hate letter featuring swastikas and anti-Semitic content.
Unidentified powder leads to some tense moments (Archive photo)
צילום איי פי
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