FBI won't identify substance mailed to Louisiana election office

FILE PHOTO: FBI's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT/FBI.gov)

(The Center Square) — The FBI has declined to identify a mysterious white powder mailed to Louisiana's Secretary of State's office last week, as federal investigators examine similar suspicious letters sent to election offices in at least 32 states.

The substance was discovered Oct. 13 when an employee opened a package at the Secretary of State's Office in Baton Rouge, prompting an emergency response and temporarily closing the building.

Louisiana State Police said the substance was recovered and submitted to the FBI's crime laboratory for testing. A week later, federal authorities have not publicly identified the material or disclosed whether laboratory testing has been completed.

Asked about the substance, an FBI spokesperson said the agency had released all the information it was authorized to provide at this time.

"The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices," the FBI's New Orleans Public Affairs Team said in a statement.

"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 continued.

The mailings have reached election offices across the country, although most were intercepted by postal authorities before reaching their intended recipients.

According to an investigation published Monday by WIRED, election offices in at least 32 states received suspicious letters, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

In Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Louisiana, the letters reached election offices, prompting evacuations after employees discovered white powder. Testing of substances recovered from opened letters has reportedly found no hazardous materials.

Some envelopes listed the Democratic Socialists of America as the sender, although the organization denied any involvement, according to WIRED.

Similar letters have also targeted congressional offices, including those of Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Alex Padilla of California, along with Republican Sens. Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

Ricketts' office in Omaha received a letter containing a powdery substance that law enforcement subsequently determined was not harmful. Rounds' office in Sioux Falls was evacuated after receiving suspicious mail.

The mailings have raised concerns about potential intimidation of public officials just two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

In Louisiana, state police initially dispatched its hazardous materials unit to investigate the substance. No employees reported injuries or adverse health effects, and preliminary testing found no evidence of harmful materials.

The Secretary of State's Office resumed normal operations the following day.

Louisiana State Police confirmed Tuesday that the investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI now leading the investigation and state authorities providing support.

Federal authorities have not identified any suspects or publicly established a motive for the mailings.

The incidents are not unprecedented. During the 2024 election cycle, at least 14 election offices nationwide received letters containing suspicious white powder, some of which was identified as flour.

In 2023, election offices in six states received similar mailings, some containing trace amounts of fentanyl.

The FBI has not disclosed whether the latest mailings are connected to those earlier incidents.