Police probe plot to poison Indonesian VP

Indonesian police are investigating a possible poisoning plot after traces of arsenic were found in a bowl of noodle soup to be served to vice president Jusuf Kalla today.

His security detail initially detected the poisonous substance in the soup, prepared at a Bali hotel, said police spokesman Colonel Anthonius Reniban.

The soup was not believed to contain a fatal dose of arsenic, and police declined to say whether they suspected it was an attempt to poison Kalla, who was in Bali to attend a conference of the Golkar party, the country’s most powerful political grouping.

Kalla is contesting the party’s leadership.

“It is suspected to be a very small amount (of arsenic), and we were asked to check it out,” the police spokesman said.

Food for the Indonesian president and vice president is routinely tested for poison before consumption.