Police probe embassy threats cyanide link

New Zealand anti-terrorist police are investigating possible links between cyanide threats against US embassies in Wellington and Rome.

In December, a cyanide-laced letter was posted to the US embassy in Wellington. Police initially believed it was a threat against golfer Tiger Woods’ participation in the New Zealand Golf Open tournament.

But the arrest last week by Italian police of nine Moroccans suspected of plotting a bioterrorist attack on the US embassy in Rome has prompted a new round of investigations into the Wellington attack.

The Moroccans were found with 4kg of potassium ferrocyanide and maps of Rome, with the embassy highlighted. Potassium ferrocyanide contains small quantities of cyanide, a deadly poison.

New Zealand Assistant Commissioner Jon White, in charge of police counter-terrorism, said they were ‘‘prudently’’ monitoring the Italian investigation because of broad similarities with the case.

Enough cyanide was enclosed in the New Zealand letter to kill several people, White said. The Italian substance was less potent in water but was also deadly as a gas.

The Wellington letter threatened New Zealand, Israeli and American interests, and said the United States had not learned its lesson from the September 11 terror attacks. Police said it had an Islamic connection, but have refused to release the content of the letter or name any suspects.

Italian police are probing links between the Moroccan suspects and Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.