US embassy staff get medical checks after handling suspect mail

AFP - Two Frenchmen working at the US embassy in Paris underwent medical check-ups after handling a suspect letter Friday, but initial tests suggested the incident was a false alarm.

"The US Embassy to France confirms that a suspicious envelope was received today," an embassy statement said.

"Per embassy security procedures, the two employees who were exposed to it were evaluated by medical professionals and the envelope is being analysed by a laboratory. Preliminary results indicate that the envelope was not harmful."

Other members of staff were entering and leaving the premises as normal, and there was no sign of increased security at the already tightly guarded site in the heart of Paris near the Place de la Concorde.

"I can confirm that there was a letter in the mailroom that was deemed suspicious by the handlers. The employees were taken to medical personnel for attention," spokesman Paul Patin said outside the embassy.

"We don't know if it was poison. We don't have any confirmation that they were hurt," he said, adding that the incident involved two locally employed male French citizens who had been taken for check-ups.

"The envelope was taken away to be examined at a laboratory," the spokesman said. "No-one has been evacuated from the embassy. Normal life at the embassy is proceeding."

The mailroom is in the main embassy building, a palace-like structure which was built in 1931 to house the first-ever US diplomatic mission, established in 1776 with Benjamin Franklin as the first envoy.

Mailrooms at US diplomatic facilities worldwide are always on the lookout for suspicious packages, amid fears that extremists might try to send in bombs or toxic materials through the post.