Canadian embassy evacuated in Washington for suspicious letter

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The Canadian embassy in Washington was evacuated yesterday morning after a suspicious letter was discovered in its mail room, an embassy spokesman said.

Embassy spokesman Chris Plunkett said the U.S. Secret Service is investigating the incident but there were no other details about the letter.

The embassy's 325 employees were evacuated at around 9:30 a.m. (9.30 pm Sgp time) and spilled onto Pennsylvania Avenue, a major artery in Washington that leads to the White House just 2.4 km away. Numerous police cars and fire trucks were on the scene.