THE FBI is investigating after four federal offices across the Pacific Northwest US received a suspicious white powder today.
KOMO-TV in Seattle said the federal buildings included three in Washington State and one in neighbouring Idaho.
The first discovery came at around 12.30am (local time) at an IRS building in Bellevue, east of Seattle in Washington State. An employee opened an envelope and discovered white powder, Lieutenant Eric Keenan, with the Bellevue Fire Department, told KOMO.
The employee did not report any illness, but was later taken to hospital after reports of a scratchy throat.
More than 10 minutes after the powder was found in Bellevue, white powder was discovered by an employee at a federal courthouse in Seattle. Fire officials determined the powder was not hazardous.
Around the same time, the US Attorney’s office in Boise, Idaho reported it received an unknown powder as did the FBI office in Spokane, in western Washington.
The four incidents have not been confirmed as connected but “logic would suggest there could be a relationship”, Special Agent Frederick Gutt of the Seattle FBI office told KOMO.
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