Australia hit by anthrax scares

The Australian authorities are stepping up security

A number of building across Australia have had to be evacuated as anthrax scares were reported, with US and British consulates among those hit, officials said.

The United States consulate in Melbourne was evacuated after a chemical found in a letter caused a security alarm, embassy officials said.

We need to take every precaution, we need to be ever alert, but we shouldn't go into panic mode without having things properly looked at

NSW Premier Bob Carr

And the British consulate in Brisbane was one of five offices in Queensland which reported receiving letters containing suspicious white powder.

Political leaders are calling on the Australian public to remain calm, but fears of a bio-chemical attack are growing following the recent anthrax outbreaks America.

"I think it's important that we don't start leaping at shadows," New South Wales state Premier Bob Carr said.

"We need to take every precaution, we need to be ever alert, but we shouldn't go into panic mode without having things properly looked at," Mr Carr added.

False alarm

Police would not give any details about the package which led to the evacuation of the US consulate in Melbourne, but staff were soon allowed to return to the building.

US Consul General David Lyon said mail scanners indicated the package might have contained explosives.

Ashcroft: 'Real suspicion' of a terrorist link

"It was scanned and an indication was received that it might have had something to do with explosives," Mr Lyon said.

"The area was sealed off and people were evacuated as a precaution," a police spokeswoman said. "It was then determined to be a false alarm."

In the capital Canberra, about 80 staff were evacuated for several hours from the second floor of the Australian Taxation Office after reports that a suspicious envelope had been found.

"The envelope, delivered by courier, contained a powdery substance," a police spokeswoman said. It has now been taken away for forensic tests.

Health authorities in Queensland also said they were also investigating a possible case of anthrax in the Townsville General Hospital.

US support

The scares came as US authorities revealed three new cases of exposure to anthrax in New York on Sunday.

Hundreds of people have been tested for anthrax in the United States, where 12 people are known to have been exposed to the deadly bacteria through letters sent in the mail.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft said that while there was no evidence that the outbreaks were linked to Osama Bin Laden, prime suspect behind the 11 September attacks, there was "real suspicion".

Australia has firmly supported the US military action against Afghanistan, sparking fears that it too could be a target for terrorist action.