U.S. Embassies receive suspicious letters

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Several U.S. Embassies in Europe have received envelopes this week containing a suspicious white powder, the State Department said.

Officials said at least eight embassies received letters on Tuesday, and the others were received Wednesday, ABC News reported.

The U.S. Embassies in Berlin; Bucharest, Romania; Bern, Switzerland; Brussels; Dublin, Ireland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Riga, Latvia; Rome; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden, and Madrid each received at least one envelope, the network reported.

So far, tests for dangerous substances in the letters have come back negative, officials said.

The FBI and United States Postal Inspection Service are reportedly investigating the hoax letters.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Tuesday that all the letters have been postmarked from Texas and are similar in nature.

"Since Monday 12/8, letters containing a note and suspicious white powder have been received by the offices of more than 40 governors' offices across the country. Additional letters have been received at several U.S. Embassies overseas," Kolko said. "The white powder in each of these letters has been field screened and the tests have met with negative results."