The FBI and the US Postal Service are investigating letters containing suspicious substances that were sent to election and congressional offices in the United States, after election offices in several states reported receiving suspicious mail containing a white powdery substance. Officials in Louisiana and Oklahoma said letters of this kind arrived on Tuesday.
Election offices evacuated and letter intercepted in Ohio
They said they evacuated their election offices, while law enforcement agencies intervened to deal with the situation. In Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said on Wednesday that his office had been “targeted” by one of the suspicious letters, adding that the Postal Service had managed to intercept it. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents linked to the letters.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the FBI said that “a series of suspicious communications” had been sent to various addresses across the country, including state secretaries of state offices and their election offices. The bureau added in its statement: “Some of the letters contained an unidentified substance, and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to address each incident individually.
We are also working with our partners to identify the person or people responsible for sending these letters.” The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors expressed deep concern about the incidents.
Election organisations condemn threats against staff
In a joint statement, they said that “there is no place for threats against election officials and workers in our democratic system”, stressing that those responsible for administering elections should not fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties.
The two organisations added that receiving suspicious or threatening letters is not unusual for election officials across the United States. They noted that packages containing powder had previously been sent to election officials in at least six states, a few weeks before the 2024 presidential election.
John Cohen, a former acting under-secretary of homeland security for intelligence and analysis, said the incidents reported during the week showed that election officials and law enforcement agencies needed to remain prepared to deal with a wide range of cyber and physical threats amid the current threat environment.
Cohen told CNN that the downside was that the threats were evolving rapidly, were dynamic and dangerous, and made use of technology. At the same time, he said officials at state and local levels were better prepared than ever to confront these types of threats.
