For the second in time in less than 24 hours and the third since a wave of anthrax scares broke out worldwide, the American embassy in Cairo was put on alert Wednesday after the discovery of a "suspicious substance," officials said.
The source from the US embassy told AFP that “there was an announcement over the intercom system that a suspicious substance was located and found to be negative.”
The agency quoted the unnamed source as saying “nobody was evacuated.”
The official did not identify the “suspicious substance.”
However, Egypt's MENA news agency reported that the substance was a white powder and had arrived at the consular section in an envelope, but the embassy official said he could not confirm those details.
On Tuesday, the embassy and consulate were evacuated after "a suspicious substance" was found on the premises inside a parcel that had been posted from the United States.
Other reports of suspected substances have appeared in the local press, with most turning out to be what authorities referred to as “bad jokes.”
In one incident, an American Express employee in Cairo was given a clean bill of health after receiving a letter containing a white powder.
The tests revealed no trace of any harmful substances – Albawaba.com
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