CANBERRA, Australia, June 3 (UPI) -- A suspicious package found in Australia's Parliament in Canberra forced the closure of the building's loading dock Friday as police investigated its contents.
Police took the package for testing, the South China Morning Post reported. The package was similar to one found at the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra two days earlier, which contained a white powder and caused about 50 embassy employees to be placed in isolation.
The powder found in the package delivered to the embassy contained bacteria, but was not anthrax and was most likely harmless, police said. They had treated the incident as a "biological attack," the authorities said.
Authorities linked the incident to public anger following the 20-year prison sentence an Indonesian court handed to a young Australian woman on drug trafficking charges.
Prime Minister John Howard had warned that the abusive letter and threatening powder sent to the Indonesian Embassy could prompt action against Australia.
