Leuven office evacuated after letter containing suspicious powder

Police evacuated offices of payroll services company SD Worx in Leuven, Belgium, after staff discovered a letter containing a suspicious white powder, local outlets Het Nieuwsblad and HLN reported.

Emergency responders attended the business and cleared people from the affected premises while the contents were checked. The precautionary evacuation took place because the material had not yet been identified.

A later Het Nieuwsblad report said the substance was found to be harmless. That later finding matters because it means the initial suspicious package should not be reported as a confirmed toxic or biological threat.

The source material did not provide evidence of injuries, a hazardous exposure or a deliberate attack. Nor did it establish the identity of the person who sent the envelope or an alleged motive.

The reported incident temporarily interrupted normal activity at the company's office. No wider public warning or closure of other nearby buildings was documented in the sources reviewed.

The details of the investigation beyond the reported negative hazard finding were not available. The newsroom has not asserted that the incident was terrorism, attempted poisoning or an attack on critical infrastructure.