Federal authorities are investigating suspicious mailings sent to congressional offices and state election officials less than three weeks before Election Day.
The FBI said it and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were investigating mail sent to addresses nationwide, including to secretaries of state and related election offices. The bureau said some letters contained an unknown substance and that investigators were working to identify who sent them.
Election offices in at least 15 states said suspicious packages had been mailed to them, NBC News reported. They are Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.
The reports do not mean every package reached its intended recipient. Authorities and lawmakers have said some mail was intercepted before delivery.
Newsweek has contacted the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police for comment.
Some Mail Was Intercepted Before Delivery
The Senate Sergeant at Arms, the upper chamber's chief law enforcement and protocol officer, warned Senate offices that law enforcement was working to intercept additional letters, but that some could still reach their destinations. The investigation involves the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police.
Several senators' offices were reported as targets, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Alex Padilla of California, according to The Washington Post. The outlet also reported that it was not clear whether the letters sent to congressional offices were connected to those mailed to state officials.
At least one suspicious letter addressed to the office of Democratic Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware was intercepted by Capitol Police, while Padilla said the Postal Service intercepted a package before it reached his office.
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Authorities Continue To Test White Powder
Three law enforcement sources briefed on the matter told NBC News that preliminary testing of the white powder showed it was not hazardous. Further testing is continuing at law enforcement laboratories.
That preliminary result is not a clearance of every mailing. The FBI has described the substance in some letters as unknown, and the Senate Sergeant at Arms advised offices to treat suspicious mail as potentially hazardous.
"Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident," the FBI said in a statement. "We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters."
Packages containing a powdery substance prompted evacuations at election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Wisconsin election officials said tests found that powder in a letter sent to their office was not hazardous.
"Let this be very clear: This incident will not shake us," Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a statement.
Newsweek has contacted the offices of Schumer and the Louisiana Secretary of State for comment.
USPS Prepares for Ballot Volume
The mailings were reported as the U.S. Postal Service prepares to handle millions of ballots for the November 3 midterm elections. Postmaster General David Steiner said the agency was ready for the ballot volume, and USPS has outlined additional measures, including extended hours at some locations, expedited handling, extra deliveries and special ballot pickups.
According to authorities, the suspicious mail was sent to public officials and election offices. They have not said that voters' ballots were targeted or that the ballot-delivery preparations are connected to the investigation.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Shakeema Edwards.