The white powder sent to the addresses of government institutions in Belgium, including the office of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, has been identified as strychnine.
The Brussels prosecutor’s office announced two days ago which substance it was after it was sent last November to government institutions, including De Croo’s office.
Belgian media reported that an unnamed employee of the Prime Minister’s office was hospitalized after sustaining hand injuries while opening the letter.
The statement noted that the letters were discovered on November 22nd, two days after similar packages were found in the office of Minister of Internal Affairs Annelies Verlinden and the headquarters of the State Security Service.
Another person was placed in quarantine as a precaution but was not injured.
A spokesperson for De Croo said yesterday that the poisoned letters had obviously shocked the Prime Minister and his staff.
“Our colleague is, fortunately, doing well now, and at the time, all procedures were strictly followed to prevent further harm. However, this cannot become the new normal,” said the unnamed spokesperson.
The incidents occur amid an increase in threats and violence directed at elected politicians in Europe.
Strychnine, a white, odorless powder, is used as a rat poison and, in humans, can lead to muscle spasms, cardiac arrest, organ failure, and death.
The dramatic convulsions it can cause in higher doses have inspired writers and authors of crime novels such as H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie.
Photo: NDTV
