Anthrax Scare At U.S. Embassies

U.S. embassies or consulates in Germany, Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg received letters containing white powder Wednesday, sparking fears of a fresh anthrax attack, a State Department official said.

"Unidentified white powder was received in local mail deliveries," the official said, citing official information received from the embassies in Copenhagen, Luxembourg and Rome and consulates in Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich.

"In each case when the white powder was discovered by mission employees, staff notified local authorities who responded immediately and are now evaluating the substance," he said.

Earlier, nine U.S. embassies were closed, amid threats of possible terror attacks against U.S. interests overseas. The threats prompted officials in Washington to raise the country's terror alert status to Code Orange -- it's second-highest level -- for the first time.