Scottish Parliament evacuated after '˜white powder sent to MSP'

The Scottish Parliament building has been evacuated after a 'suspicious package' was found inside.

The Scottish Parliment has been evacuated

Police are at the scene after receiving a call at 11.35am this morning and an investigation is ongoing.

The building has been evacuated with MSPs now gathering in the Garden Lobby.

Unconfirmed reports suggest it the incident was a ‘white powder’ incident.

The MSP building at Holyrood has been evacuated with staff working to assess the situation.

Packages containing ‘white powder’ were sent to the Scottish parliament in April this year.

A Scottish Parliament spokesman said “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 Police are in attendance at the scene. The Parliament’s Incident Management Team has been activated. This is part of a pre-arranged process put in place, ready to deal with such developing situations.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police in Edinburgh responded to the Scottish Parliament at around 11.35 a.m. on Tuesday 7th November following the discovery of a suspicious package.

“The building has been evacuated as a precaution and inquiries are continuing.”