Envelopes with White Powder Investigated in Downtown Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK-- Three federal offices in Oklahoma City receive suspicious letters with a mysterious white powder, FBI officials say the sender indicated the white powder was anthrax.

The first letter was reported at the US Attorney's Office in Downtown Oklahoma City. 

"It's kind of scary," said Debbie Aceves, who works near the US Attorney's Office.

Bob Troester, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office says after an employee opened the letter, officials quickly contained the substance and notified the FBI.

"We want to try and make sure to contain it in as small of an area as possible, and expose as few people to it as possible, until we can determine if it is or isn't dangerous," Troester explained.

The FBI and several other agencies responded to the call, including Oklahoma City Police and Hazmat.

"Field tests here on site by the Hazmat unit inidcate that the susbstance was not dangerous," said Troester.

The Federal Courthouse and FBI Headquarters also received suspicious letters that posed the same threat. 

An FBI spokesman told Fox-25 all three suspicious letters have been traced to an inmate serving time for larceny in McAlester. 

The FBI spokesman also said there could be a fourth letter linked to the same inmate.  The FBI found a suspicious letter at a federal building in Muskogee Wednesday.  The letter contained the same mysterious white powder, but FBI officials say the substance tested negative for anthrax.

FBI officials have not released the inmate's name.
 
Envelopes with White Powder Investigated in Downtown Oklahoma City

Posted: Thursday, March 14 2013, 09:56 PM CDT