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British Parliament Endures Another Anthrax Scare
A man used a white powder yesterday to cause an anthrax scare at the British House of Commons, the London Independent reported (see GSN, May 20, 2004). The man tossed the powder on floor of the public lobby shortly after 6 p.m. and shouted, “You could all be dead, you could all be dead.” The affected area was closed off and ministers were kept from leaving for 50 minutes until experts determined the powder was wheat flour. “The Metropolitan Police specialist team has investigated the area,” said a House of Commons spokeswoman, according to Agence France-Presse. “As a precaution, the Palace of Westminster was locked down for the duration of the incident until the powder had been investigated and confirmed as harmless.” “There was white powder thrown across the lobby,” Parliament member Ben Wallace told the Independent. “The police wore a chemical mask and [protective] uniforms” (Colin Brown The Independent, June 7). The man, who was not identified in reports, was arrested and taken to the Charing Cross police station, AFP reported. Witnesses told a television news channel that the suspect was protesting a court decision. Drills involving mock chemical or biological attacks are conducted regularly at Parliament. A 2004 incident in which a protester tried to hit Prime Minister Tony Blair with a powder-filled condom during a House of Commons debate showed that security is not impenetrable, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 8).
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