Authorities were investigating a cargo container marked with
black graffiti saying “Anthrax a gift from Osama,” sent to Pier T at the Port
of Long Beach on Wednesday morning.
The container was on a truck that was stopped at a terminal
around 10:30 a.m. Fortunately, the container was found to be empty and showed
no sign of contamination, Long Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank
Hayes said, according to local Long Beach Press-Telegram
He said the truck driver who did not speak Englich picked up
the container in Wilmington.
When the driver approached the Port, a security guard saw the graffiti
inscription and called authorities at 10:23 a.m. The container was further
moved to an isolated area of the port for inspection and hazardous materials
crews wearing oxygen tanks and protective suits have opened it.
"Everything we've been able to test does not indicate
any kind of a contaminant, including anthrax," Hayes said, according to
the Los Angeles Times.
The FBI investigators took samples from inside the container
and they will need at least 72 hours to process the results.
“Due to the nature of the threat, we’re taking every
precaution possible,” Hayes said adding that after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, port security must report and investigate “anything that could be a
possible terrorist act or endanger port relations.”
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