WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- As anthrax scares spread internationally and government and law enforcement Wednesday pledged to respond to each incident, prosecuting those responsible for hoaxes as well.
Hoaxers who triggered false alarms over anthrax in England by sending suspicious mail were warned Wednesday they face prosecution and possible prison terms.
Emergency services in several English and Australian cities and towns were put on alert after suspect packages were found by postal workers. In all cases so far, the packages appear be harmless with no trace of anthrax.
"People could see a prison sentence if they undertake a hoax of this nature," Chief Superintendent Kevin Morris, chairman of the Police Superintendents' Association, told the British Broadcasting Corp.
"If we are going to get a lot of well-intentioned alerts, we will deal with those, but it's going to take a lot of time, and divert us from perhaps more important things," he said. "If they are hoaxers, then we will pursue them through to the courts."
On Tuesday, 13 employees of the London Stock Exchange were tested for anthrax and several hundred postal employees in the northwestern city of Liverpool were sent home after a similar alert. Another anthrax alert disrupted part of central London.
An anthrax scare Tuesday night hit Millbank by the river Thames, where the BBC has studios.
Emergency services went on alert again Wednesday after postal workers found suspect packages leaking white powder in the English towns of Hatfield and Chelmsford. In all those cases, police experts found no traces of anthrax.
Health Secretary Alan Milburn warned the public not to panic and that there was no information to suggest a specific threat to Britain from biological or chemical attack.
Milburn told Parliament it was important people remained calm and went about their normal lives, but pointed out the emergency response so far showed Britain's contingency planning against terrorist action was effective.
In Australia, anthrax scares in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and other major centers this week forced evacuations of city buildings and the decontamination of dozens of workers. Officials said it was likely most -- including one at the Australian Labor Party offices Wednesday -- were hoaxes but in some cases precautionary measures were taken and investigations are underway.
One incident involved a suspicious envelope sent from Florida. Anthrax was first discovered at the office of American Media Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla. and one person employed there died of anthrax infection Oct. 5. Another involved a suspicious white powder discovered in the toilets of the Australian Tax Office.
Based on Australia's preparations for its Olympic games, political leaders have moved to toughen jail terms and other penalties for perpetrators of hoaxes. Wednesday authorities charged a 46-year-old South Australian man who allegedly sent a substance through the mail. It was determined to be baby powder.
State and federal leaders appealed to the public calm. "There is no reason for the Australian people to be concerned," said Prime Minister John Howard. "That doesn't mean that we can afford to be complacent."
Defense Minister Peter Reith warned that because Australia is part of the coalition against terrorism, the risk of bio-terrorism could not be ruled out. He said the announcement that Australia will send troops to Afghanistan to support the U.S.-led effort only serves to heighten that risk.
Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge said health authorities are on a "heightened state of caution" but the country is ready to handle any anthrax outbreak.
The incidents have spurred health authorities to step up efforts to test for suspected anthrax and to update medical information available to doctors. Major hospitals have the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (trade name Cipro) available in case of an anthrax attack as well as iodine and iodate tablets for a radiation-based attack.
A leading Australian virologist, Professor Frank Fenner, said Australia was "better prepared than most" because of plans for potential bio-warfare attacks during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
(Reporting by Sajid Rizvi in London and Stephen Sheldon in Australia)
