FBI investigates white powder letters sent to Democratic senators and election offices weeks before US midterms
Letters with unknown substances were mailed to congressional and Secretary of State election offices across multiple US states three weeks before Election Day, triggering a joint FBI and Capitol Police investigation.
Federal investigators have confirmed a coordinated campaign of suspicious mailings targeting Democratic senators and state election officials across the United States, with letters containing an unidentified white powder intercepted at offices in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Mississippi and on Capitol Hill. The FBI, US Postal Inspection Service and US Capitol Police are jointly working to identify those responsible, warning staff to treat any letters as 'potentially hazardous'. Senators Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons all confirmed their offices were targeted. The Senate Sergeant at Arms warned that despite interception efforts, 'it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.'
Louisiana's election office was evacuated on 13 October after a staffer opened a package and discovered white powder inside.
Election offices in at least five states have been directly affected, with some letters intercepted by postal inspectors before delivery.
Senator Padilla warned the attacks reflect 'very real dangers facing those who help administer our elections in the face of increasingly hostile political rhetoric.'
