'Suspicious' letter sent to Canadian office in Istanbul

Canada’s consulate in Istanbul has called in Turkish investigators to check a suspicious package which arrived at the building on Friday.

Security officials at the consulate in the Levent district notified the Turkish authorities after a letter containing an unknown yellow substance was detected.

A statement from the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said a chemical, radiology and nuclear team was dispatched to the scene to inspect the package.

“The air conditioning system was immediately shut down and people who were exposed to the package were kept in the room as a precaution.”

According to information from the Canadian consulate, one person came directly into contact with the suspicious package and six other people had indirect exposure.

The scare comes amid heightened security within Canada, after a lone gunman shot and killed a guard at Canada’s parliament building, attempting to open fire inside the building.