Cyanide letter threat to Cup

By PATRICK GOWER, PAULA OLIVER and ALAN PERROTT

A national security alert has been sparked after the discovery of a letter containing cyanide which makes a terrorist threat to the America's Cup.

Letters were sent to the United States Embassy and the British and Australian High Commissions at the same time last week.

Two contained a powdered substance that police have since found to be harmless.

But the third contained cyanide.

Police have not revealed which diplomatic mission received the cyanide letter and refuse to disclose contents of the message to diminish copy-cat actions.

The threats have led police and health chiefs to make a rare public warning for all New Zealanders to be vigilant when taking public transport, eating in restaurants and public places or eating packaged foods.

The letters were intercepted at the South Auckland Mail Centre on Thursday night after staff noticed powder on a conveyer belt used to carry mail.

A copy of the letter, also containing powder, was received by the New Zealand Herald on Monday.

It was taken away by police. The substance was analysed and found to be harmless.

The letter writer warns that an escalation of events in Iraq could trigger terrorist action. Police said similar threats were levelled at the America's Cup.

The level of security at the Viaduct Basin, the hub of cup activity, is being constantly monitored, police say.

The letter to the Herald contained a tissue as well as the powder, which made the worker opening it suspicious.

She immediately put the letter down, but before it was taken by police she noticed a "foreign phrase".

The Herald address had been typed, photocopied, cut into a square and glued on to the envelope.

Police believe the threats could be linked to a similar letter received at the US Embassy a year ago, threatening an attack on the NZ Golf Open, which featured Tiger Woods.

Enough cyanide was in the letter to have killed up to 15 people if ingested. If converted to a gas, it could have killed 100 people.

The letter's writer was never caught.

News of the latest alert spread rapidly around the world last night, carried on the websites of major news organisations such as the BBC, Reuters and American newspapers.

Prime Minister Helen Clark refused to comment.

But Foreign Minister Phil Goff said: "This is, I think, the action of a disturbed person using a political pretext for taking the action he or she has."

The police counter-terrorism chief, Assistant Commissioner Jon White, the warning was related to the America's Cup event and the diplomatic missions, but "it would be unwise of us to rule out the fact that there could be some appearance in other parts of the country".

He urged the public to take care with packaged food and public transport, saying people should check the seals on food and drink and know what they were eating.

"It is simply a matter of being sure about your food sources and that they haven't been interfered with prior to you using them," he said.

Mr White would not say how much cyanide was in the latest letters, referring only to "a small quantity".

But he did say aspects of the new letters made police think there could be a link to the previous threat against the US Embassy.

Scientific reports on the cyanide are still being completed, and police would not say if it matched that used in the previous threat.

Cyanide is used extensively in New Zealand in pest destruction, mining and the jewellery industry.

America's Cup competitors had been advised of the threat and would look after their own security precautions.

Inspector Mark Hall, the chief of America's Cup security, said he would brief them today.

"We are more than satisfied with the security," he said.

Most diners around the basin enjoyed their food in blissful ignorance of the threats last night as police and security guards conducted highly visible foot patrols.

Two police walked a regular beat, while about 10 security officers were on duty, monitoring the Quay St entrance, the inner gate leading to the superyachts and the bridge to Te Wero Island.

"We cannot increase our security setting here because it is already at its highest," a police officer told reporters.

Supplies delivered to restaurants around the Viaduct Harbour are being examined for possible tampering.

Last night, restaurant managers in the district were quick to allay fears of terrorists contaminating food at their establishments.

Judith Tabron, co-owner of Soul Bar and Bistro, said all bars and restaurants had been paying attention to security issues since last year's Bali bombing.

"As far as I'm concerned it's business as usual," she said.

"The potential threat has always been there since Bali. We've always known about it.

"These threats seem to be the popular thing to do at the moment, but I'm still here every day and haven't left the country."

Herald editor-in-chief Gavin Ellis said the letter to the newspaper was reported to the police because of the powder, which gave it added significance because of the anthrax attacks in the US.

The Herald did not know other organisations had received the same threats and had not published details of the letter on Tuesday because it did not want to impede police investigations.

"We were also mindful of our responsibility to not panic the public if it was a one-off hoax," said Mr Ellis.

"The significance of the letter changed dramatically in 24 hours."

All staff had been told yesterday of the letter and "additional precautions" had been taken to ensure the safety of staff handling mail.

Mystery powder sets mail workers on case

White powder coming out of a letter sorting machine at the South Auckland Mail Centre was the first sign that triggered alarm bells.

That was last Thursday night. An unnamed worker stopped the machine and alerted postal authorities.

This set off what has become one of New Zealand's biggest security alerts.

The worker was ordered to have a shower in case the powder was dangerous.

Postal security officers and health and safety teams secured the area.

What caught the attention of staff was not just the powder but several letters addressed to embassies and high commissions in New Zealand.

Jim Quinn, general manager of NZ Post processing, said staff "contained" the suspect letters and alerted police the next day.

"The police weren't called in immediately because we knew it wasn't anthrax from its appearance."

Police tests revealed a substance in one of the letters was cyanide.

The Manukau centre handles 750,000 items of mail a day. - Natasha Harris

Stay alert

Police say the public should be vigilant around public transport and when eating food prepared and packaged by others.

They cite Ministry of Health advice urging people to buy food from reputable sources, check that packaging is intact and to contact the public health service if products look, smell or taste unusual.

In all cases of suspected cyanide poisoning, they say, seek immediate ambulance and medical attention by dialling 111.

Assistant Commissioner for Counter-terrorism, Jon White, said anyone with a suspected food-borne illness should immediately contact a doctor.

He cautioned America's Cup spectators and participants to be observant for anything which seemed "out of the ordinary" and worthy of reporting to police.

"If in doubt, please do call the police so we can make an assessment of the information."

The National Poisons Centre has an online database on toxic and hazardous substances.

National Poisons Centre