ST PAUL, Minn. — A day after a "suspicious mailing" forced the office of the Minnesota secretary of state to evacuate, officials released information about what was inside the box.
According to information from the office of Steve Simon, a nonhazardous white powdered substance was inside the package. The substance was tested by both the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). It was ruled nonhazardous.
MDH is running additional tests.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Minnesota State Patrol, are investigating.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement on Saturday:
“We are thankful for the quick response by our law enforcement partners to ensure the staff members working in our office were safe. We are also grateful to the Minnesota Department of Health, which completed the initial analysis late into the evening on September 27.
Fear and intimidation of election workers will not be tolerated. New laws enacted in 2023 make it very clear that it is a crime to intimidate election workers and interfere with the administration of an election. Our focus remains on delivering a free, fair, accurate, and secure election for Minnesotans.”
On Friday, around two dozen people were evacuated from the building around noon. According to a news release, the package was addressed to the office with a return address to the "United States Traitor Elimination Army."
The Minnesota Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the state's elections. State officials said several other Secretaries of State and state election officials received similar suspicious packages earlier this month.
