White powder in LA Times scare not toxic

LOS ANGELES, Oct 25 (Reuters) About 12 Los Angeles Times employees briefly evacuated the paper's newsroom last night after white powder was found in an envelope sent to the publication, but police said the substance was not toxic.

Police responded to the newspaper's downtown Los Angeles offices shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time after a clerk discovered the powder in the envelope.

The powder was not toxic, Sgt Mark Hurley of the LAPD hazardous materials squad told reporters.

Hurley said the envelope contained a letter with the name of a man and ''general ramblings,'' but ''there was no threat to anyone at the L A Times.'' He declined to identify the material or the person who wrote the letter and did not say whether the letter referred to the powder.

The clerk who opened the envelope was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.

REUTERS SAM VV1149