U.S. reopens Turkmenistan embassy after powder scare

ASHGABAT (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Turkmenistan reopened its chancery building on Monday after being put on high alert last week by a package it received containing white powder.

U.S. authorities have been on alert for suspect letters since 2001, when envelopes laced with the anthrax toxin were sent to media outlets and to U.S. politicians, killing five people.

U.S. embassies in up to 20 countries have received envelopes containing white powder since December 8. In most missions the packages were found to be harmless.

The U.S. embassy in Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic bordering Afghanistan and Iran, said it closed its chancery on December 23 after receiving a suspect package.

But it said in a statement that Turkmen public health officials had since concluded that the white powder in the package was "non-lethal."

(Reporting by Marat Gurt; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Richard Balmforth)