KEHOUR - Several decks of the Emperor Family Bureau in orbit of the second moon of Kehour VIII remain sealed off to the public this afternoon, after a failed chemical attack against Imperial Guard personnel based on board the station.
In a statement released just moments ago, a spokeswoman for the Emperor Family confirmed that "three chemical devices were placed and subsequently detonated around an atmosphere handling and processing plant on board the station's mid-level service deck.
This resulted in three decks of the station's security sector becoming flooded with GR-12 military grade nerve gas, after it was drawn in to the station's ventilation system".
It has since been confirmed by the Imperial Guard that there was no loss of human life due to the attack, however a division of 246 Syrikos hounds were killed after their kennel block was flooded with hazardous vapors.
The station, which is home to both Emperor Family civilian administrative personnel and a division of more than two hundred thousand Imperial Guard military personnel, remains fully open to the public for trade and operations despite the lockdown of the affected area, which was evacuated before any major effects of the gas could take hold.
It is believed at this stage that suspicious behavior from several members of the public in addition to noise from detonations of the chemical devices alerted officers of the Imperial Guard who were on security duty at the time. This enabled them to react quickly by shutting down the atmosphere handling plant before evacuating and sealing off the affected area.
The Imperial Guard and Ministry of Internal Order are currently investigating holvid footage from the station's security archives in order to determine the identity and motives of the attackers, with many experts believing that the blame lies with Amarr purists in opposition to Empress Catiz's claim to the throne.