US embassy in Sri Lanka to reopen

The embassy and American centre have been closed down indefinitely

The American embassy in Sri Lanka will reopen after a security scare turned out to be unfounded.

Tests carried out on a white powder received in embassy mail showed no sign of anthrax, a spokesman says.

The embassy will open on Monday, nearly a week after it was shut down.

Staff were ordered to leave from the mission located in a high security area of the capital, Colombo.

The American Centre, which is in a separate compound nearby and houses a library and the offices of USAID, was also closed.

The move came after the embassy received a letter with a suspicious white powder in it.

"The powder has been found to no-toxic and we will be open for work on Monday," embassy spokesman Chris Long said.

Last month, a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to her body at a police station close to the US embassy, which is located near the British High Commission.