ANKARA
Investigations are ongoing to find out who sent the suspicious letters with a mysterious yellow substance to six foreign consulates in Istanbul, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The suspicious letters were delivered to the Canadian, German, Belgian, French and American consulates in Istanbul Friday with a sixth one being discovered at the Hungarian consulate Monday. The packages sparked fears of a chemical attack.
Health officials dispelled the fears Monday when they announced that no signs of biological warfare or radiological materials were found in the letters.
"The chemical analyses came out negative as well, and the letters did not contain any radioactive material, either," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday. It added that the consular staff members, who were hospitalized earlier for observation, were eventually discharged.
"Although it has been confirmed that the mysterious yellow substance didn't pose any threat, investigations are ongoing to find out who sent the suspicious letters, and all foreign missions in Turkey as well as Turkish embassies and consulates abroad have been reminded to stay vigilant, and promptly inform relevant authorities in case of a similar suspicious incidence in the future," the statement added.
The "yellow scare" had elicited a prompt response from Turkey’s emergency response agency, the AFAD, which dispatched a team of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear experts to the consulates immediately to decontaminate the premises as well as the personnel who came in contact with the letters.
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