'Perfume' poisoner causes subway panic

A man was today in custody after raising fears of bio-terrorism when he sprayed a mystery substance into the air on a subway just outside the US capital, Washington DC.

Around 35 people complained of nausea, headaches and dry throats after the incident in Temple Hills, Maryland, a suburb of the capital, prompting a full-scale bio-terrorism alert.

But last night US health secretary Tommy Thompson, whose top aides had monitored the situation from an emergency command centre, said the mystery substance appeared to be perfume.

‘‘We haven’t done the analysis yet. It appears right now that it looks like perfume,’’ he said.

Police said the symptoms suffered by bystanders were likely to have been caused by pepper spray used by officers to restrain the man, who had fired a shot from a handgun after spraying the substance from a pump-action bottle.

The incident came as fears grew over bio-terrorism being behind the outbreak of anthrax in southern Florida which has claimed the life of British-born journalist Bob Stevens.

People who complained of being affected at the subway station were decontaminated by firefighters wearing special protective rubber suits who rushed to the scene after the first complaints from subway passengers and staff that they felt sick.

Prince George County chief of police John Farrell said: ‘‘It appears at this point to be an isolated incident.’’

Police at the scene said the man also dropped a jar of clear liquid, which spilled on the train and the subway platform.

The man was subdued by pepper spray and was found to be carrying a steak knife and some kind of religious book, ‘‘either a Bible or a Koran’’, said the spokesman.