Oregon Package Intercepted as FBI Confirms Nationwide Probe of Suspicious Letters to Officials
The FBI says it is investigating suspicious letters and packages, some containing an unknown substance, sent to lawmakers and election officials across the country. Oregon officials said a package addressed to the secretary of state's office was intercepted before it arrived.
A suspicious package addressed to the Oregon secretary of state’s office was intercepted before it could arrive in the state, officials said Oct. 16, as the FBI confirmed a nationwide investigation into letters and packages, some containing an unknown substance, sent to lawmakers and election officials.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said federal partners stopped the package before it reached Oregon. “A suspicious package addressed to our office was intercepted by our federal partners before it arrived in Oregon. No one was harmed, and I want to thank our federal partners for their swift action,” Read said in a statement. He said his office did not know what was inside the package or who sent it.
“We are prepared to respond if a package arrives in Oregon, and we will do everything we can to protect Oregonians’ safety and the integrity of our elections,” Read added.
FBI confirms multi-state investigation
The FBI said on Oct. 15 that it was investigating reports of multiple packages, some containing suspicious substances, mailed to lawmakers and election officials across the country, with help from the U.S. Postal Service.
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the FBI said in an email to USA TODAY. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”
Earlier packages in three states
Before the Oregon interception, packages or letters with suspicious substances had been received or intercepted in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Ohio. Earlier this week, offices in those states received envelopes containing a suspicious white powder; no harmful substances had been found as of Thursday, according to reporting on those incidents.
The investigation comes weeks before the midterm elections, a period when state election offices handle a heavy volume of mail. The FBI has not said whether any of the letters contained materials that posed a danger.
Reporting based on coverage by the Salem Statesman Journal and USA TODAY.
