‘Suspicious substance’ mail sent to U.S. Democratic senator’s office

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Go Il-hwan = Mail containing a suspicious substance was sent to the congressional offices of U.S. Democratic senators, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began an investigation.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 15th (local time) that it was confirmed that suspicious mail was sent to the offices of Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Chris Murphy and Alex Padilla of the same party.

Mail sent to Rep. Padilla's office was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service, but Rep. Murphy's office reportedly received a letter containing a suspicious substance.

Federal law enforcement authorities notified Congress of this fact, and the FBI, Postal Inspection Service, and Capitol Police are investigating related mail.

Work is also underway to block similar types of mail before they reach lawmakers' offices.

In an email to employees, the Senate Inspector General's Office warned them to be cautious about unusual mail, saying, "There is a possibility that some mail may be delivered to its intended destination."

Mail and packages delivered to the U.S. Congress go through a separate security screening process before being delivered to the congressman's office.

According to WP, similar types of mail are also being sent to election officials in each region.

Some of the letters contained language similar to existing threats from conspiracy theorists and also contained white powder, but so far it appears to be a non-harmful substance, officials said.

The FBI has defined the substance as an 'unidentified substance' and is investigating.

This week, such mailers were sent to the offices of the secretaries of state in Ohio and Louisiana, and to election officials in Oklahoma, Delaware and Wisconsin.

The link between mail sent to congressional offices and mail sent to state election officials has not yet been confirmed.

Recently, vigilance has been strengthened in the United States due to a series of threats and violence targeting lawmakers and public officials.

According to Capitol Police data, incidents of threats against lawmakers, aides, and family members increased for three consecutive years until last year.

A survey conducted this year by Princeton University and the nonprofit group Civic Pulse found that 17% of local elected officials said they had received threats in the first quarter of this year, and 39% said they had been harassed.