HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A suspicious powder was sent to Senator Ted Cruz’s office in downtown Houston, according to Ted Cruz.
A source close to the matter told ABC13 that staff members were reportedly safe after they discovered the powdery substance.
Houston Police Department confirmed that it received the report about the substance at about 3:45 p.m. on Friday at the George Thomas Mickey Leland Federal Building.
On Friday evening, Senator Ted Cruz shared the following statement on social media, confirming that the substance was delivered to the office. Cruz also said that the FBI, the Houston Police Department, and the Houston Fire Department, and U.S. Capitol Police responded to the incident. Cruz is in Alaska Friday for a political event. He is not up for re-election this year.
Additionally, FBI officials issued a statement about a series of suspicious mailings sent to addresses nationwide.
“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident. We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”
Investigators have not revealed further details.
This is the second time a suspicious powder has been sent in the mail to Senator Cruz’s office. The first time was in 2018, when it was sent to a campaign office on the Southwest Freeway. That substance turned out not to be hazardous.
According to ABC News, election offices in at least 21 states have reported receiving, or being the intended target of, suspicious mail. Also, according to an internal FBI notice described to ABC News, these letters could be sent “to public officials, election workers, media organizations, and public and private polling companies throughout the United States.”
The FBI says they’ve identified “common characteristics” in all of the letters from those that are recovered, including being processed through a North Texas mail processing center and contain a “Thinking of You” postmark. The return addresses are preprinted in NYC and handwritten.
The FBI says these letters are serious federal crimes and will be investigated and prosecuted.
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