(AFP) The United States embassy here reported receiving a second letter containing "a suspicious powder" today and called in the fire department's hazardous materials team.

All employees who were near the letter before it was sealed in an airtight container and removed would be tested for exposure to anthrax and would take precautionary antibiotics, the embassy said in a statement.

The first letter, discovered on October 22, was still being analyzed by the department of health and until tests were complete "we cannot know whether or not the letter contained any dangerous substances".

The embassy was "extremely grateful to the government for its quick response and continued protection for the US embassy and for Americans in Malaysia," the statement said.

The Fire and Rescue Department has handled dozens of anthrax scares since bioterrorism fears surfaced in the United States.

No cases have so far proved positive for anthrax, which has killed three people in the US.