Suspicious Package Briefly Closes Canada's U.S. Embassy

A suspicious package prompted the evacuation of the Canadian embassy for about two hours Friday but it was found not to pose a threat, police said.

"The package has been cleared," said District of Columbia police spokesman Araz Alali.

A special domestic security unit that deals with chemical, biological and hazardous materials inspected the suspicious letter, said Alali.

A section of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the embassy was closed in the heart of official Washington, as some 300 embassy personnel left the building.

Embassy spokesperson Alex Vachon White that embassy personnel found a "package that was irregular in nature" in the mailroom, and following security protocol determined that it was "suspicious."

Embassy personnel contacted the U.S. Secret Service, who ordered the embassy evacuated around 1300 GMT.

Neither Alali nor Vachon White said what the package contained, but the Canadian embassy spokesperson said that Secret Service personnel determined that it was "not threatening."