A letter sent from Malaysia to a Microsoft office in Nevada has tested positive for traces of anthrax, according to local authorities there. The authorities in Carson City said today that at present there were no reported cases of anthrax infection stemming from the incident.
Meanwhile, the US Vice President, Dick Cheney, has said that there could be links between the confirmed four cases of anthrax in America and Osama bin Laden.
Mr Cheney said that there was ample evidence that bin Laden's network had been trained in the spread of biological and chemical weapons.
Vice President Cheney said that bin Laden "has over the years tried to acquire weapons of mass destruction, both biological and chemical weapons".
He continued: "We know that he's trained people in his camps in Afghanistan. For example, we have copies of the manuals that they've actually used to train people with respect to how to deploy and use these kinds of substances.
"So, you start to piece it altogether. Again, we have not completed the investigation and maybe it's coincidence, but I must say I'm a sceptic."
This comes as five people were hospitalised in Genoa, Italy, after handling a letter containing bio-terrorism threats, according to reports. All five, including two police officers, are being treated in the infectious disease unit at Genoa's San Martino hospital.
