The FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating letters containing suspicious substances that were mailed to “various addresses nationwide, including multiple Congressional offices,” according to a notice that senior staff in Senate offices received Thursday morning.
uncertain
staff → investigate → offices
“Law enforcement officials are working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations,” the notice said, according to two people who received it.
uncertain
who → work → it
The notice included an image of one of the suspicious envelopes and said that the letters “may contain different variations of postage stamps.”
uncertain
letters → include → stamps
It also warned that suspicious letters, packages or substances “should be treated as potentially hazardous and handled in accordance with established safety protocols.”
asserted
letters → warn → protocols
The notice outlined how staff should handle the items and noted that mail and packages delivered to Senate offices or the Capitol complex are screened and tested for potential threats.
asserted
mail → outline → threats
A similar notice was sent to House lawmakers and staff Thursday from the House sergeant at arms.
asserted
notice → send → arms
The notice said that while mail and packages delivered to the House offices in the Capitol are rigorously screened, district offices should be use safe mail handling procedures, including the use of “mail hoods” — screening equipment that allows the handling of mail without exposing staff to danger — provided by the sergeant at arms, according to two congressional offices who shared the message with NBC News.
uncertain
who → say → News
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Capitol Police referred questions from NBC News to the FBI, which confirmed in a statement that the agencies are investigating “a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
asserted
agencies → refer → offices
The agency did not specify the locations of the offices targeted.
asserted
agency → specify → offices
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement said.
asserted
statement → contain → incident
“We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
asserted
We → work → letters
The notice sent to Senate staff did not say whether the congressional offices involved are the ones in Washington, D.C. or local and regional offices.
asserted
offices → send → Washington
Congress is on recess leading up to the midterm elections, so most lawmakers are back home in their districts as they campaign in the final weeks of the races.
asserted
they → lead → races
An office for Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was among those targeted, a spokesperson for the senator told NBC News in a statement.
asserted
spokesperson → target → statement
“We received the notification from the FBI that one of our offices was mailed a letter containing a suspicious substance, but it was intercepted by USPS.
asserted
it → receive → USPS
Follow up questions should be directed to the FBI.
asserted
questions → follow → FBI
A letter with a suspicious substance was also sent to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy’s Hartford, Connecticut, office, his spokesperson, Josh Sorbe, said in a statement.
asserted
spokesperson → send → statement
The FBI, Capitol Police and sergeant at arms informed the office about the letter, Sorbe said, adding that the senator and his staff “were not in immediate danger.”
asserted
senator → inform → danger
NBC News reported Wednesday that secretaries of state’s offices in Louisiana, Ohio and Oklahoma were sent packages this week containing mysterious powders.
asserted
secretaries → report → powders
Oklahoma and Louisiana reported receiving the envelopes, while Ohio said U.S. Postal Service investigators intercepted a package destined for it.
asserted
investigators → report → it
These offices oversee and manage the election process in their respective states, and these incidents come just weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3.
asserted
incidents → oversee → Nov.
The Aporia
