'Scots link' to anthrax alert

The mail room was cleared after the incident

Law enforcement officials have been investigating an anthrax alert at the New York Times after a suspicious letter with a Glasgow postmark was discovered.

The letter contained a white powdery substance and its discovery on Tuesday led to the evacuation of the newspaper's mail room.

Tests were being carried out to establish if the letter did actually originate in Glasgow and if it contained anthrax.

The substance is being tested for anthrax

The New York Times Company said an employee had opened the envelope.

The worker and a colleague who was also in the mail room would be tested for possible exposure to the anthrax bacterium.

The company said: "This morning at approximately 8.30, a New York Times mailroom employee opened an envelope that contained a white powdery substance.

"The company's mailroom has been closed. The employee and one other mailroom worker who was in the immediate area will be tested for exposure to anthrax.

Tests on letter

"The appropriate authorities were notified and have initiated an investigation.

"Authorities have begun testing the substance. The envelope had no return address and was postmarked from Glasgow, Scotland."

If the letter was posted in Glasgow it could have passed through the city's largest sorting office at Springburn.

However, a Royal Mail spokesman said there was no confirmation that the item had originated in Scotland.

Steve Stewart said in the meantime staff were being vigilant.

"We have to take every single potential incident seriously, but it is also important to bear in mind that all of the suspect package incidents that happened in the UK have been established as false alarms following investigation," he said.