“A parcel was found at the entrance to the mosque and found to contain white powder”.
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The fire brigade’s “anthrax alert” response involved at least four specialist ambulances as well as crews wearing Hazmat-style protective suits. First partial tests show that the powder is not radioactive.
Specialist units rushed to the city’s Grand Mosque after the envelopes were discovered there, fire brigade spokeswoman Malika Abbad told NBC News.
Wibin says eleven people, including two police offers, were being decontaminated as precautionary measure. She said it will take six hours to analyze the powder, but it is not radioactive.
The mosque is just moments away from the European Parliament.
The seven people who were inside the mosque where several envelopes containing the white powder of undetermined chemical composition were found, are now undergoing decontamination, with no apparent symptoms according to La Libre.
Firecrews and decontamination teams attended a major mosque in Brussels close to the European Union headquarters on Thursday after a suspect powder was found that the fire service said was feared to be anthrax.
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Two rooms inside the building have been cordoned off as investigators search for signs of harmful substances, including anthrax.
