The U.S. law enforcement agencies announced on Tuesday (September 17) that officials in at least 15 states have received suspicious packages and threatening letters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Postal Service (USPS) are currently investigating the identities and locations of the senders.
In recent days, election officials in states including Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, and Rhode Island have reported receiving suspicious packages or threatening letters. According to a post by Jena Griswold, the Democratic Secretary of State in Colorado, on social media platform X, the senders of these letters identified themselves as the “US Traitor Elimination Army”.
Additionally, some packages were sent to Secretary of State and election offices in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming. These packages led to the evacuation of offices in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wyoming until they were deemed safe.
Law enforcement agencies have reported that several states have found white powder in envelopes received by election officials. In most cases, these substances have been determined to be harmless to humans – for example, Oklahoma officials revealed that the packages received at their office contained flour. However, even non-toxic substances have caused delays in ballot counting processes in some local elections.
No reports of injuries or dangerous substances in the packages have been received so far. Some packages were intercepted during transit, including a suspicious package reported by Mississippi authorities on Monday (September 16) and others intercepted by the FBI in Connecticut.
Kristen Setera, a spokesperson for the FBI in Boston, stated in a release that they are currently confirming the number of packages and letters sent out, investigating the identities of the senders, and examining the motives behind these letters. She mentioned that the FBI is conducting examinations on the unknown substances found in the packages. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, further comments are not available at this time.
This incident marks the second time in the past year that suspicious packages have been sent to multiple state election officials. Last November, offices of election officials and state government buildings in at least six states received suspicious letters.
The National Association of Secretaries of State has condemned this package incident, stating, “This must stop, unequivocally stop. Our democratic system does not tolerate any form of political violence, threats, or intimidation.” Disrupting election officials in various states on the eve of early voting has added further chaos to an already tense voting season, pointing to a “disturbing trend”.
Several Secretary of State offices have notified county election officials to remain vigilant.