Two anthrax letters traced to same mail depot

By STAFF REPORTERS and AGENCIES

The anthrax-contaminated letter sent to a top US senator bore the same date and postmark as that sent to one of the country's top newsmen, NBC anchor Tom Brokaw.

The two letters were dated September 18 and postmarked Trenton, New Jersey, at a depot which takes mail from 46 regional post offices.

The letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle was wrapped in tape and contained a note saying, "This is anthrax."

Powder inside the letter tested positive in two preliminary tests.

About 50 people in Senator Daschle's office, and police and mail handlers, were treated with antibiotics. The office was quarantined.

FBI sources told CNN that the letter sent to Brokaw, which was opened by one of his assistants at the weekend, contained a short note with threatening language towards the United States and Israel.

The note warned that the recipient should begin taking medication immediately. It ended by praising Allah.

Brokaw's assistant, Erin O'Connor, aged 38, developed subcutaneous anthrax after opening the letter. That strain is far less serious than respiratory anthrax.

In New York, authorities said the 7-month-old son of an ABC freelance news producer had tested positive to the skin anthrax.

In Florida, a second employee at a newspaper company tested positive to the more dangerous inhaled form. A colleague died of the disease on October 5.

US law enforcement officials have responded to many other potential anthrax alarms, including one affecting a leading abortion rights group.

The scare over anthrax - a potential agent in biological warfare - has also spread to the Canadian Parliament, the Berlin office of the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, France, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Israel - and Taranaki.

A suspicious, light yellow, flaky powder was found yesterday in a mail bag at Eltham, resulting in an emergency alert.

NZ Post anthrax project coordinator Dale Stevens said: "The indication is it has not come from a package or letter in the bag."

He did not know if any of the mail in the bag was from overseas.

The centre of the town, which has just over 2000 residents, was closed to traffic for about five hours as firefighters and police swooped on the mail delivery branch.

Three workers and one of their children were put through decontamination showers as a precaution but were not given antibiotics.

Inspector Waata Shepherd said the powder had been sent to Wellington for analysis.


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