Australian Police Examining Suspicious Packages Left at Foreign Consulates

Australian Police Examining Suspicious Packages Left at Foreign Consulates

"The packages are being examined by attending emergency services," an Australian Federal Police spokeswoman said. "The circumstances surrounding these incidents are being investigated."

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Jan 10, 2019

Australian authorities are investigating after suspicious packages were discovered at multiple foreign consulates and embassies in Melbourne and Canberra on Wednesday.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., footage showed emergency service workers at the U.S., Greek, French, Italian, Indian, New Zealand, Pakistani, Spanish, South Korean and Swiss consulates in Melbourne. They were also at an incident at the South Melbourne building were the Consulate General of Turkey is based.

A New Zealand official told the ABC that their consulate received an envelope, inside of which were small plastic bags with the word “asbestos” written on the outside. The bags were filled with what appeared to be concrete and asbestos. A police officer was seen wearing a face mask inside the New Zealand consulate.

A spokesman for the U.S. Melbourne consulate told ABC it had also received a suspicious package.

"We handled the package according to our standard procedures and in close coordination with local authorities — the Melbourne Fire Brigade and the Australian Federal Police — who are investigating the incident," he said.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said they were aware of the rash of suspicious packages being delivered.

"The packages are being examined by attending emergency services," an AFP spokeswoman said. "The circumstances surrounding these incidents are being investigated."

"At this time we believe the matter is targeted and not impacting the general community," Victoria Police said in a statement. Victoria is the state in which Melbourne is located.

These incidents followed an incident Monday in which the Argentinian consulate in Sydny was sent three bags containing fiberglass and asbestos.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Gaining a Competitive Edge

    Ask most companies about their future technology plans and the answers will most likely include AI. Then ask how they plan to deploy it, and that is where the responses may start to vary. Every company has unique surveillance requirements that are based on market focus, scale, scope, risk tolerance, geographic area and, of course, budget. Those factors all play a role in deciding how to configure a surveillance system, and how to effectively implement technologies like AI. Read Now

  • 6 Ways Security Awareness Training Empowers Human Risk Management

    Organizations are realizing that their greatest vulnerability often comes from within – their own people. Human error remains a significant factor in cybersecurity breaches, making it imperative for organizations to address human risk effectively. As a result, security awareness training (SAT) has emerged as a cornerstone in this endeavor because it offers a multifaceted approach to managing human risk. Read Now

  • The Stage is Set

    The security industry spans the entire globe, with manufacturers, developers and suppliers on every continent (well, almost—sorry, Antarctica). That means when regulations pop up in one area, they often have a ripple effect that impacts the entire supply chain. Recent data privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CPRA in California made waves when they first went into effect, forcing businesses to change the way they approach data collection and storage to continue operating in those markets. Even highly specific regulations like the U.S.’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) can have international reverberations – and this growing volume of legislation has continued to affect global supply chains in a variety of different ways. Read Now

  • Access Control Technology

    As we move swiftly toward the end of 2024, the security industry is looking at the trends in play, what might be on the horizon, and how they will impact business opportunities and projections. Read Now

Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction. 3

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure. 3

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3