FBI probes suspicious letters sent to US election offices and state officials
Letters containing powder reached election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma, which were evacuated, while an Ohio package was intercepted before it could be delivered to the secretary of state's office.
What investigators know
The FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to state election offices and congressional offices across the country. Authorities declined to say how many offices were targeted, although several secretaries of state and congressional offices reported receiving the letters. Some of the envelopes contained an unknown substance, and investigators are trying to determine who sent them. The FBI said in a statement that it was working with other law enforcement partners on each incident, but it has not named any suspects.
Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident.
Louisiana, Oklahoma and Ohio
On Tuesday, 13 October, a staff member opened a package at the Louisiana secretary of state's office in Baton Rouge, and the building was evacuated. Secretary of State Nancy Landry later said the investigation found no dangerous substances, and the office has since reopened. The same day, the Oklahoma State Election Board reported receiving an envelope containing a suspicious white powder, and its building was evacuated while state troopers responded. Troopers later determined that the substance mailed to the Oklahoma State Capitol complex was non-hazardous. In Ohio, postal inspectors intercepted a package with white powder that was addressed to the office of Secretary of State Frank LaRose, an event that took place on 14 October.
- Louisiana office evacuated after a package is opened; Oklahoma election board evacuated after receiving an envelope with white powder
- Ohio package addressed to Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office intercepted
- FBI and US Postal Inspection Service confirm investigation into suspicious mailings
Senate offices and other states
An email sent to Senate staff on Thursday by the chamber's top security officials said the letters had tested negative for hazardous substances. One envelope pictured in that email carried a return address reading "DSA" in Manhattan, the former office of the Democratic Socialists of America. Priscilla Yeverino, a spokeswoman for the group, said it had not sent the letters, had not occupied that office suite since 2013, and had left the building entirely in January. A letter containing a suspicious substance was also addressed to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and his spokesman said it was stopped before reaching the office. According to an emergency responder scanner feed reviewed by the BBC, suspicious packages also reached the state capitols in Albany, New York, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Official response and past incidents
A senior Postal Inspection Service official, Brendan Donahue, confirmed the investigation at a press conference on Thursday and said the agency would act against threats to election officials.
We are committed to protecting our nation's election officials from threatening and dangerous mail. Any threat or attack on an election official is unacceptable.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement on Wednesday, 14 October, saying that they work with law enforcement and have contingency plans and security measures to respond to threats while keeping essential election operations running. Paul Ziriax, secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, said no employees were hurt and that the incident would not affect the ability to hold elections. Mail for Congress is screened at two Maryland facilities, a process that can add as much as two weeks to delivery and that was built after the 2001 anthrax attacks. Earlier threats also reached election offices: in 2023 envelopes, some laced with fentanyl, were sent to offices in at least five states, and ahead of the 2024 election vote officials in 17 states received suspicious packages.
What comes next
No suspects or motives have been publicly identified, and the FBI declined to say what the substance in the letters might have been. The Senate notice said law enforcement is working to intercept additional letters, but some could still reach their destinations. Staff have been told to watch for warning signs such as messy handwriting or postmarks that do not match the return address. The letters arrived only weeks before the November 2026 midterm elections, which will decide the balance of power in Congress.
