U.S. embassy Paris says mail in scare seems harmless

General view of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, July 30, 2010. REUTERS/Thomas Padilla

General view of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, July 30, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Thomas Padilla

PARIS | Fri Jul 30, 2010 9:22am EDT

PARIS (Reuters) - Two employees of the U.S. Embassy in Paris were examined for possible poisoning Friday after handling a suspicious envelope, but preliminary results indicated it was not harmful, the embassy said.

Paul Patin, an embassy spokesman, said US officials had immediately contacted French security services on receiving the suspect mail and the envelope was still being examined in a laboratory.

"I cannot say conclusively that the envelope was not harmful, but that is what it seems as of now," Patin told Reuters.

A spokesman for France's judicial police said it had deployed a mobile laboratory to test for poisonous substances at the embassy, close to the historic Champs-Elysees in central Paris.

Earlier, a French police source had said three employees at the embassy had fallen ill.

(Reporting by Gerard Bon and Bate Felix; Editing by Peter Graff)
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Comments (1)
STORYBURN17 wrote:
That’s the oldest terrorist trick in the book, right?

Jul 30, 2010 7:49am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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