Bio-alert halts Swiss tennis event

Start of play at the Swiss indoor tennis championships was delayed and the St Jacobshalle venue sealed off today when officials…

Start of play at the Swiss indoor tennis championships was delayed and the St Jacobshalle venue sealed off today when officials called a bio-alert after receiving a suspicious package.

According to reports from Swissinfo, the package, which was received at 10 a.m. local time, was sent to laboratory for analysis. Officials would not say if they believed the package contained anthrax.

Tennis fans who had arrived for play were not allowed to enter or leave the St Jacobshalle as fire-fighters deployed vehicles designed to treat chemical spills around the hall.

The building was re-opened shortly after 11.30 a.m..