Terrorism > 29 DC schools receive envelopes filled with suspicious powder

D.C. Schools Receive Suspicious Powder

Friday, May 6, 2011

Okay, so it's just an envelope...

Twenty-nine schools in Washington, D.C. on Thursday received envelopes filled with a suspicious but apparently harmless powder, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, June 10, 2010).

The incident was possibly part of a string of similar mailings in recent weeks to schools around the country.

The letters were directed to specific Washington schools rather than individuals. Several school buildings were evacuated after the envelopes began arriving at 1 p.m.

"I think it's a dastardly act," Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said. "It alarms people unnecessarily."

The powder had the characteristics of corn starch, one law-enforcement source told AP. Initial testing indicated the material posed no threat, but further forensic analysis was planned at the FBI laboratory at Quantico, Va.

The source said letters found in the envelopes made reference to the FBI and the terrorist group al-Qaeda, whose leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday during a U.S. raid in Pakistan (see GSN, May 2).

At least one letter appeared to originate in Dallas and have been mailed on Monday, according to a television news report.

Mailings of suspicious powders have become a regular occurrence around the nation in the nearly 10 years since the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people (see GSN, July 19, 2005). The final suspect in the anthrax case, U.S. army scientist Bruce Ivins, committed suicide before he could face charges (see GSN, April 21; Jessica Gresko, Associated Press/Washington Examiner, May 5)  Actual article...