The offices of three members of Congress from the Chicago area received suspicious mail for the second time in a week. The letters are part of a nationwide wave sent to politicians and election offices ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, suspicious letters arrived at the offices of Jan Schakowsky in Skokie, Mike Quigley in Chicago and Brad Schneider in Lincolnshire. Police, firefighters with hazmat crews and FBI agents responded. Staff at all three offices did not open the envelopes and immediately alerted authorities.
The first batch of letters reached the same offices a few days earlier, on Friday, Oct. 16. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi also received suspicious mail then, and in the following days so did the office of Delia Ramirez in West Chicago. Tests found no dangerous substances in the envelopes. In downtown Chicago, similar letters containing white powder also arrived at the Cook County building and at the headquarters of the state election board, which was briefly evacuated.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the federal postal law enforcement agency, more than 100 suspicious letters have now been sent to congressional offices and election offices in 19 states. The FBI is leading the investigation.
What should you do with a suspicious package? Authorities advise: do not open, shake or squeeze the envelope; gently set it down on a flat surface, leave the room, close the door, wash your hands with soap and water, and call 911.
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Source: Polski.FM
