A suspicious envelope containing a white powder was delivered on Thursday to the Moroccan Consulate in Antwerp, Belgium.
As soon as they were alerted, the police and civil protection services went to the scene. They suspected that the envelope contained anthrax, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source told The Moroccan Press that an investigation was opened by Belgian police in collaboration with the consul general. “The contents of the envelope will be analyzed in a laboratory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation is following this case very closely. We will have more information about this in the next few hours”, explains our source.
Local police spokesman Sven Lommaert told the Belgian press that 34 people were present at the consulate at the time of the incident. Eight of them, including the consul, touched the envelope and were placed in quarantine before being allowed to leave the building. However, their health will have to be monitored and they will have to consult a doctor in case of possible health problems.
Anthrax is a potentially fatal infection caused by Bacillus anthracis, a rod-shaped bacterium, explains msdmanuals. Anthrax can affect the skin, lungs or, more rarely, the digestive tract (gastrointestinal tract).
“Symptoms include papules and blisters (after skin contact), breathing difficulties or chest pain (after inhaling spores), abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea,” msdmanuals says.
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