Scottish parliament evacuated as white powder reportedly found in parcels.

The Scottish parliament building in Edinburgh.
Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian

All MSPs and their staff cleared from Holyrood building as police and fire personnel attend scene.

Police have evacuated part of the Scottish parliament after an incident said to involve the discovery of a white powder in several packages sent to Conservative MSPs.

No details about the incident have been officially released but a Holyrood spokesman said it affected the MSPs’ area of the building, and this had now been cleared of all MSPs and their staff.

The Scottish fire and rescue service was attending the scene.

Media reports said three packages had arrived addressed to Tory MSPs. One, containing suspicious white powder, was opened in the office of Jamie Halco Johnston, an MSP for the Highlands and Islands region.

“An incident has occurred requiring the evacuation of the MSP building at Holyrood. The MSP block is currently closed. Parliament staff are working to assess the situation,” the Holyrood spokesman said.

BY Severin Carrell.

Full story at The Guardian.