Tennis tournament upset by hoax mail
Tennis fans were not allowed to enter the St Jacobshalle for the Davidoff indoor tennis tournament on Tuesday morning after an envelope containing an unidentified powder was found near the main entrance hall.
According to the spokeswoman for the Basel cantonal police, Barbara Umiker, the envelope was immediately sent to a state laboratory for analysis.
A premlinary test showed the powder did not contain anthrax bacteria. According to the authorities, further testing was to show that the powder was in fact cocaine.
The alert was given at around 10pm local time, just before the scheduled start of the tournament. Fire-fighters deployed a fleet of vehicles designed to treat chemical spills, however, the building was not evacuated.
The building was re-opened shortly after 11.30 local time.
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