Powder sent to Indonesian embassy 'probably harmless'
Bacterial powder that sparked a terror alert when it was sent to the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Australia, was probably harmless, an initial police report said today, though tests were continuing.
Prime Minister John Howard said he suspects the powder was sent in retaliation over last week’s conviction of an Australian woman in Indonesia on drug smuggling charges. Her 20-year prison sentence drew public outrage at home.
“Whether the substance ultimately is concluded to be harmless or not, the intimidatory effect, the damage it’s done to the perception of this country in the eyes of the people of Indonesia, the understandable fear instilled in the staff of embassy … is something to be totally deplored,” Howard told parliament.
“This is a reckless, evil act.”
Police spokesman Sandi Logan said a final report on the powder was expected tomorrow.
“While we continue to investigate what is clearly a serious criminal matter, we do have an interim report that indicates the substance taken from the envelope looks very unlikely to have any bacteria of major pathogenic significance,” said Logan.
The last of the 46 staff who were at the embassy when a parcel containing white powder was delivered yesterday morning underwent precautionary decontamination and were allowed to go home, police said. None showed symptoms of illness.
Initial tests yesterday found the substance contained bacillus, a group of bacteria which the government said included the cause of anthrax.
But the Australian Federal Police said today it had been “advised that testing has shown the substance is not anthrax”.
Howard said he had been briefed on a note written in the Indonesian language that was sent with the parcel to Ambassador Imron Cotan from the southern state of Victoria. Cotan was not in the embassy at the time and the parcel was opened by his secretary.
Howard declined to discuss the letter’s contents because it was under investigation, but said the letter – described by The Australian newspaper as a “race-hate message” – had not changed his view that the attack was retaliation for the conviction of 27-year-old Australian Schapelle Corby.
Corby pleaded innocent to smuggling 9lbs of cannabis to the Indonesian resort island of Bali in October last year. Howard said the security scare would harm her appeal, filed yesterday.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he rang his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda last night to express his remorse and concern for embassy staff.
Downer said a parliamentary committee would travel to Jakarta next week and express to the Indonesian government Australia’s regret about the attack.
Jakarta would send three Indonesian police to help Australian detectives with their investigation, he said.
Howard said security provided to the Indonesian embassy, already upgraded ahead of the Corby verdict, would be reviewed.
He also said the security scare created a risk of retaliation against Australians in Indonesia.
Elizabeth O’Neill, a spokeswoman for the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, said the facility has received no threats and initiated no new security precautions since the powder scare, but noted the building has been on a high-security alert since last year.
