Cupertino terrorist panic

Apple's Cupertino headquarters was impacted by a short-lived terrorist scare on Wednesday, a local newspaper reports. Mercury News writes that while in the Building 4 cafeteria, one Apple worker discovered a "suspicious" envelope containing a white powder. Though the powder did not have an affect on the worker or anyone else, the incident was enough to prompt a call to emergency services.

Fire crews from Santa Clara County arrived at the Apple campus at approximately 3:30PM, where they ordered an evacuation of Building 4 and retrieved the envelope using hazmat gear. Early tests immediately showed that the powder was not a danger, but the county sheriff's office says that the envelope has nevertheless been taken to a lab for analysis.

The US has been affected by a host of similar panics since 2001, when a small number of people were killed by envelopes laced with anthrax. Few subsequent incidents have proven to be a genuine threat.

by MacNN Staff