RIYADH, 3 November— There was confusion yesterday over reports of an anthrax scare at the King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh. They were initially denied by Saad Al-Tasan, director of the airport. But a number of airport employees contacted by Arab News stated that a letter addressed to an unknown non-Arab individual and containing white powder had indeed been found in a letter box at the entrance of the airport’s observation tower.
"Two employees at the tower came across the letters while looking for their own mail," one employee said.
Airport security was immediately informed about the letter and the two employees were taken to hospital for checks.
Al-Tasan had categorically denied the incident had taken place. "If something of that sort had happened at the airport, we would have informed the authorities," he said.
Other sources said airport authorities had distributed gas masks to workers at the observation tower as a result of the scare.
Arab News tried to contact officials at the Health Ministry and the Civil Defense Department to confirm the report, but they could not be reached.
Saudi authorities have recently confirmed that there have been no anthrax cases in the Kingdom, although a number of letters containing white powder have been found.
Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijeri, director general of the Civil Defense Department, said that results of laboratory tests of suspicious mail for anthrax spores have all come back negative.
He added that the government had taken all precautionary measures to deal with any emergency situation if it should occur. Headed by a Health Ministry undersecretary, a new committee will coordinate with relevant government departments to draw up a contingency plan.
Al-Tuwaijeri has advised Saudis and expatriates to inform the nearest Civil Defense office, the Health Ministry or the local police if they receive any suspicious mail. And he has warned that touching or smelling the powder could lead to contamination.
Saudi Arabia was hit with an anthrax scare for the first time two weeks ago when three parcels containing a suspicious white powder arrived in the capital and in the western city of Jeddah.
Two parcels arrived on Tuesday at the Rawda post office in east Riyadh, one from India and the other from Indonesia. The origin of the third, delivered the same day at a Jeddah factory, has not been disclosed.
Saudi Arabia is the third Gulf country after Bahrain and Kuwait to be hit by the worldwide anthrax scare, following transmission of the disease through suspect mail which has killed four people in the United States.
