THE bomb squad were called into a Royal Mail sorting office in Edinburgh yesterday after a package addressed to Nicola Sturgeon began to smoke.
Staff in the Sighthill branch were evacuated when the parcel was discovered at around 10.30am.
One insider told the Scottish Sun on Sunday: “It was terrifying. It started to smoke.
“Imagine if a letter dropped through your letterbox and it started to emit smoke and smell. You would be rightly terrified and get the hell out of there.
“At the end of the day, everyone is alright on this occasion and that’s the main thing. Staff are trained to deal with this sort of thing and what to do if there’s a suspicious package.
“There are protocols that have to be followed but nothing prepares you for when it finally happens. I just hope there aren’t any other packages out there that we don’t know about yet. Now that everyone is on high alert I imagine steps will be being taken to see if that’s the case.”
Police and fire crews attended the scene.
Chief Inspector Gill Geany said: “We were called around 10.25am to a report of a suspicious package at a sorting office in Cultins Road, Edinburgh.
“Officers attended along with colleagues from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, supported by Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
“The building was partially evacuated as a precaution and later reopened once EOD removed the package. Inquiries into this are ongoing.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said one of its teams was asked to join cops on site. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the Edinburgh Troop from 521 EOD Squadron attended shortly after 12.30pm.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman urged anyone with any information to contact police. She said: “Royal Mail can confirm that a suspect package was found at Edinburgh Mail Centre.
“The safety of our people is of the utmost priority and in line with our policy and procedures, emergency services were called.”
The First Minister's personal security had to been beefed up in 2017 after she received a number of death threats.
Sturgeon was previously driven around by civilian drivers but a police officer has now taken over the duties.
A second officer also accompanies Sturgeon on high-profile visits.
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