FBI investigating suspicious letters delivered to election offices across country

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Suspicious letters ended up at election offices all across the nation, including in New England.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Services are investigating the origins of suspicious letters delivered to election officials in more than a dozen states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

“Suspicious packages, suspicious letters, and suspicious letters containing white powder; this has been a constant threat over the last couple of decades,” law enforcement and security expert Todd McGhee said.

He added the threat of suspicious letters has never gone away, but it is more apparent in the current political environment in the U.S.

“There are people within pockets of our society that are unhinged,” McGhee said. “We’ve seen this in two occasions against former President Trump where there have been two assassination attempts. But even more to our local political parties and the election officers, they’re in the line of fire.”

The Rhode Island Board of Elections said it alerted Rhode Island State Police and the FBI about a suspicious envelope received at its headquarters on Sept. 16.

The FBI took the envelope for further analysis and none of the staff were harmed.

“Regardless of what’s in the envelope, you have to treat it like it’s the worst possible chemical,” McGhee said.

The FBI shared the following statement on the incident:

The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and safely collect the letters. We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters. As this is an ongoing matter we will not be commenting further on the investigation, but the public can be assured safety is our top priority. We would also like to remind everyone to exercise care in handling mail, especially from unrecognized senders. If you see something suspicious, please contact law enforcement immediately.