SYDNEY — Suspicious packages containing white powder were sent to embassies and consulates in Canberra and Melbourne Wednesday.
Police, fire crews and ambulances attended the Melbourne missions of countries including Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, the U.K., the U.S., Switzerland, India and South Korea, among others, according to local media reports. An unspecified number of embassies were also targeted.
The U.S. Consulate was placed in lockdown after staff scanned a package and found it contained white powder.
“Police and emergency services have responded to suspicious packages delivered to embassies and consulates in Canberra and Melbourne today,” the Australian Federal Police said in a statement Wednesday. “The packages are being examined … The circumstances surrounding these incidents are being investigated.”
Victoria police said the incidents appear “targeted and not impacting the general community.”
On Monday, a white powder was found in a package delivered to the Argentinian Consulate in Sydney. Fire and Rescue NSW said HAZMAT crews examined the powder and found that it wasn’t toxic.