Kenya 'anthrax' letter negative

There have been several anthrax hoaxes around the world

A letter which the Kenyan authorities said contained spores of anthrax has tested negative for the bacteria on subsequent analysis, according to the US embassy in Nairobi.

The letter was thought to have been the first confirmed case outside the US in a spate of letters contaminated with the deadly bacteria.

Kenya Minister of Health Sam Ongeri had announced on 18 October that the substance in a letter, reportedly sent via Atlanta in the US to a Kenyan citizen, had been tested at a hospital in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Four other suspicious packages were tested in Kenya last week and also found to be free of the bacteria.

Mounting concern about the US cases following the terrorist attacks has triggered alerts and hoaxes around the world, with the Israeli parliament evacuated along with public buildings in Europe, Africa and New Zealand.