Yellow Powder 'Not Dangerous' as New Consulate Targeted in Istanbul
The Hungarian consulate in Istanbul on Monday became the sixth diplomatic mission in Turkey's largest city to receive a suspicious powder through the post but the authorities said there was no indication the substance was dangerous.
The consulates of Belgium, Canada, Germany, France and the United States -- all countries involved in the international coalition against Islamic State (IS) jihadists -- had reported receiving the yellow powder on Friday.
The Hungarian consulate informed the authorities Monday that it had also received the powder and experts from Turkey's disaster management agency AFAD were sent to the scene, the Istanbul authorities said in a statement.
The statement said it appeared the powder sent to the Hungarian consulate was likely to have been sent in the same batch as the others, given that the consulate had been closed for the last two working days.
In a similar incident, an envelope containing an unidentified yellow powder was also sent the main criminal court in Ankara, Turkish media said.
The health ministry said Monday that tests on samples of the powder collected Friday had showed no evidence of lethal viruses or substances including anthrax, plague, ricin, tularemia or other biological warfare agents.
However it said that tests were continuing throughout the day and final results would be announced later Monday.
The Ankara governor's office also said that the powder sent to the courthouse in the capital contained no dangerous substances.
At least 25 people -- six foreigners and 19 Turks -- working at the consulates who came into contact with the powder were kept in hospital over the weekend as a precautionary measure.
All however were released after the negative results and were in good health, the ministry said.
Six staff from the Hungarian consulate in Istanbul were hospitalized as a precaution after the powder was opened, Anatolia news agency said.
Hungary announced in August it would send ammunition to Iraq to help the Iraqi authorities fight against the IS jihadists, who have seized large parts of the country.
The scare in Istanbul came amid mounting concerns about the growing national security threat to Turkey and Western states posed by the jihadists, who are trying to seize the town of Kobane close to Turkey's border with Syria.
Source: Agence France Presse
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