In Jamaica, man hurls 'suspicious package' at US Embassy

Heavily armed Jamaican soldiers and police took positions around the US Embassy after a man hurled a "suspicious package" over the building's wall.

The incident yesterday came just over a week before President Barack Obama is due to visit Jamaica on April 9 ahead of the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

Embassy public affairs counsellor Joshua Polacheck said a person threw the "suspicious package" over the wall yesterday morning, leading officials to close the facility to visitors for several hours. The man who pitched the parcel was detained by police.

The embassy reopened to visitors around noon after police said they examined the contents of the package and found no threat. Authorities declined to disclose what was in the package.

Deputy Police Commissioner Clifford Blake told reporters that the man was being questioned. Blake said the man "spoke with an American accent," but his identity and other details were not released.

During the morning hours, a few hundred onlookers and visa applicants gathered across the street from the Kingston embassy as security forces positioned themselves around the complex.

While in Jamaica, Obama is scheduled to meet heads of the Caribbean Community group for discussions on security, trade and other topics. The last sitting US president to visit the Caribbean island was Ronald Reagan in 1982.

Jamaican National Security Minister Peter Bunting said yesterday he was satisfied with the progress of security arrangements being put in place by island authorities and the US Secret Service.