Cyprus police follow joker’s powder trail
NICOSIA (AFP) – Police in the Cypriot port of Larnaca yesterday were on the trail of a prankster who sparked fears of a biological terror attack when he was seen throwing white powder from his car throughout the city. People feared it might be an attack linked to the anthrax scare in the United States, but a police investigation discovered the substance was nothing more dangerous than flour. Police believe the suspect was trying to cause alarm by spreading the white substance across various areas in the town over a two-day period. A police manhunt was launched to find the hoaxer, said Larnaca police chief Nikos Stelikos yesterday. There is no cause for public alarm. We have a description of the suspect and the vehicle registration number, Stelikos told a press conference. He said security fears were allayed when lab tests on the powder showed it was flour. There was also a telltale sign. The man was seen throwing powder from the car and he was doing so from a bag that had a well-known flour manufacturer’s brand on it, said Stelikos.
