2 US Embassy workers in Paris under medical examination after opening suspicious letter

US Embassy workers tested after suspicious letter

PARIS — Two employees of the U.S. Embassy in Paris were undergoing medical tests after handling a suspicious letter Friday, the embassy said Friday.

A Paris police official said the employees were “unwell” after the incident, without elaborating. Embassy spokesman Paul Patin told The Associated Press there was “no indication that anyone is in danger or hurt.”

Mailroom employees identified a “suspicious letter” and the embassy alerted the French authorities, Patin said.

“The letter is being examined by chemical experts. The two people who handled the letter are being examined by medical authorities” at the Paris hospital Hotel Dieu, Patin said.

The embassy could not immediately provide further information about where the letter came from or what was suspicious about it, or the nationalities of the employees.

The mailroom is in the main building of the embassy, located just off the Champs-Elysees and not far from the French presidential palace.

The embassy, which is always surrounded by layers of security, remained open after the incident, and employees were entering and exiting the building as usual Friday afternoon.

Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.