The substance in a suspicious letter despatched to the highest elections company in Kansas would not seem to have been hazardous, and the mail appeared unrelated to threatening letters despatched to election places of work in different states, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation mentioned Wednesday.
The letter delivered Tuesday to the Kansas secretary of state’s workplace prompted authorities to evacuate its constructing simply earlier than midday and hold it closed for the remainder of the day. The KBI mentioned it has recognized a suspect in Tuesday’s incident, although no arrest was introduced.
The KBI additionally mentioned it has no purpose to imagine the letter was linked to threatening letters containing a innocent white powder despatched in June to dozens of Republican legislators in Kansas, Montana and Tennessee.
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A Kansas Capitol Police automotive sits outdoors the constructing that homes the places of work of the Kansas secretary of state after its evacuation Nov. 14, 2023, in Topeka, Kan. The constructing was evacuated after the secretary of state’s workplace obtained suspicious mail. (AP Picture/John Hanna)
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Whereas authorities are nonetheless ready on last checks of the substance in Tuesday’s letter, preliminary testing indicated it was not dangerous, KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood mentioned in an emailed assertion. The secretary of state’s constructing reopened Wednesday morning.
“Regulation enforcement has recognized the particular person they imagine despatched the suspicious letter,” Underwood mentioned. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Tuesday’s incident in Kansas occurred lower than every week after election places of work in at the least 5 states obtained threatening mail, some containing the doubtless harmful opioid fentanyl. The motivation of anybody liable for suspicious mail within the different states was unclear.
The KBI didn’t disclose a possible motive for the newest Kansas letter, and no arrests have been introduced over the letters despatched in June. Secretary of State Scott Schwab is a Republican who has pushed again towards baseless theories in regards to the 2020 election being stolen.
The secretary of state’s constructing is close to the Kansas Statehouse and likewise homes the places of work of the state’s lawyer basic.
“Threats similar to this and all types of political intimidation are unacceptable and should at all times be strongly condemned,” Kansas Home Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, tweeted Wednesday morning.
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