Madrid- The US embassy in Madrid was cordoned off temporarily Wednesday after the arrival of an envelope which was found to contain only harmless flour, sources of the Spanish Interior Ministry said.

Passers-by were advised to keep away, but the embassy was not evacuated.

The alarm was lifted after police excluded a chemical attack.

Sources at the US embassy said that US embassies in about a dozen countries had received similar envelopes, which all had the same origin. (dpa)