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Unattended package in Australian foreign affairs department deemed harmless

(Xinhua) Updated: 2014-12-16 14:14

CANBERRA - An unattended package that forced police in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to evacuate hundreds of workers from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) building in Canberra has been deemed "non-suspicious".

DFAT workers were told to vacate the building around 1.45 pm local time on Tuesday after police received warning of an unattended package in the canteen area which is able to be accessed by the public.

However, after the ACT Police, fire crews and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Bomb Response Team arrived on the scene, the package was determined to be harmless.

Road closures in surrounding areas had also been implemented, but have since been lifted.

In a statement released earlier on Tuesday afternoon, ACT Police said they were "investigating a suspicious package located in the canteen area of the DFAT building".

But two hours later, a follow-up statement read "The package found at DFAT deemed non-suspicious."

"We will always respond in this manner to suspicious packages no matter where they are identified or located."

The scare came less than 24 hours after a 16-hour hostage drama in Sydney which ended with the lone gunman, 50-year-old Mon Haron Monis and two hostages being killed, captured headlines around the world.

Monis had taken 17 hostages inside a cafe in Sydney's CBD and was involved in a tense standoff with both Commonwealth and State police before opening fire at around 2.00 a.m. local time on Tuesday morning.

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