Controversy over suspicious “white powder” letters spreads to 4 Bay Area congressmen’s offices, affected

Similar incidents occurred after the offices of members of Congress and election officials in several states in the United States received emails containing suspicious white powder.bay area Outgoing. includeWalnut creek,San Jose Local offices of at least four federal representatives, including Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Cruz, received suspicious letters, and white powder was found in some envelopes, prompting police and hazardous materials handling teams. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has become involved in a nationwide investigation, and some unknown substances have been tested and confirmed to be harmless.

NBC Bay Area News reported that U.S. Representative Mark DeSaulnier, who represents Contra Costa County and part of Alameda County, said that staff received a suspicious letter in his Walnut Creek office on the afternoon of the 16th. Its format and sending address matched addresses received by other congressional offices across the United States. The staff did not open the envelope, immediately separated the letter and notified local police and Capitol Police. Firefighters and hazardous materials handling personnel later arrived at the scene, and it has not yet been confirmed whether the letter contained hazardous materials.

Representative Zoe Lofgren’s office in San Jose also received a suspicious email on the morning of the 16th. According to ABC7, a police bomb squad and firefighters went to the office on North First Street to respond to the incident. San Jose police said an unknown substance was found in the letter, but testing confirmed it was not dangerous and the investigation was still ongoing.

In Santa Cruz, Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office received a letter containing white powder. ABC7 reported that a female staff member opened an envelope while handling daily voter mail and discovered the powder. After that, other staff members were immediately evacuated and 911 was called. Relevant personnel initially confirmed the safety after medical examination, and subsequent tests confirmed that the powder was sugar and flour. Panetta said this type of threat would not prevent the office from continuing to serve constituents.

On the same day, a similar incident was reported at Congressman Ro Khanna’s office in Santa Clara. According to KTVU, emergency responders wearing protective equipment were seen at the scene. Santa Clara Police said that they are aware of the relevant situation, the matter is still under investigation, and the details of the suspicious email have not yet been released.

This wave of suspicious emails comes just before the US midterm elections on November 3. ABC News quoted law enforcement sources as saying that as many as 100 similar letters may have been circulating in the US mail system. Some email has been intercepted, but letters may still be reaching their destination. The FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Capitol Police have launched a joint investigation.

In addition to the Bay Area, California Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and other state congressmen and election officials also received similar emails. Federal officials are investigating the identity and motives of the senders and reminding relevant offices to handle suspicious emails with caution. It has not yet been confirmed whether all the cases come from the same source.