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(A police officer holding a suspicious package leaves the Australian Embassy compound in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Photo: AP)
Malaysian police are investigating suspicious packages that were sent to 11 foreign missions in Malaysia Tuesday and Wednesday. Initial investigations show that the packages are harmless, police said.
"It's the work of individuals or a group of people who are out to cause havoc,'' said Kuala Lumpur Chief Police Officer Mustafa Abdullah in an interview. "Probably because of the latest development in Bali, they want to take advantage of that.''
Suicide bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Oct. 1 killed 22 people. In 2001, anthrax spores were used in a series of letter attacks in the U.S., killing five people, including two U.S. postal workers.
The embassies of Japan, Thailand, Germany, Canada, Singapore and the Philippines each received a package by post Tuesday. The British, French, Russian, American and Australian embassies received packages Wednesday, Mustafa said.
The packages had similar contents: a CD-ROM and an oily substance, which may be vehicle coolant, and a note saying the recipient had been ``infected with a biological and chemical weapon, may Allah curse you for what you have done to the Muslim'' community, Mustafa said.
Post marks on the packages, which were sent by local express mail, show they originated from Kelantan, Terengganu and Selangor states, he said. "We believe they are from the same source.''
An Australian embassy spokesman said its package contained a CD stained with yellowish liquid. High commissioner James Wise won't be commenting on the matter, the spokesman said.
"This morning we did receive a suspicious package in the mail,'' said Kathryn Taylor, press attache, U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur. ``The package was identified and isolated by our security staff and the Malaysian police responded immediately and are currently investigating the package and its content.''
The embassy remains open for business, she said.
Malaysian police have stepped up patrols and surveillance of certain areas after the bombings in Bali last weekend, including undercover policemen watching embassy areas and nightspots that may be targets, Mustafa said.
"The security situation is very much under control. People shouldn't get panicked over this issue,'' he said. "We don't have any intelligence to say that that is the work of an extremist group.''
(Source: Bloomberg)
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