Fox News reports that more than 70 letters containing a "suspicious" white powder were recently mailed to Kansas lawmakers.
It appears that the letters were mostly sent to Republican lawmakers, including Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as well as local law enforcement are currently investigating the situation.
Details about the situation have been provided by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) via its Facebook page.
According to the KBI, the investigation was launched after it received several reports from lawmakers indicating that they had received letters with a "suspicious" white substance inside.
On its Facebook page, KBI wrote, "Today, KBI agents working alongside the FBI, KDHE, OSFM, Kansas National Guard, KHP, and several local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and fire departments have responded after mail was received by legislators and other public officials containing a suspicious white powder."
The KBI continues, "As of 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, over 30 letters containing the suspicious powder have been reported across the state. Law enforcement and hazmat teams are working to safely collect the letters and investigate the incidents."
The letters, according to Thomas Day - director of Legislative Administrative Services for the Kansas legislature - are said to have had return addresses located in Topeka and Kansas City.
At the time, KBI said that "no injuries have been reported."
By Sunday, the number of letters with the suspicious white powder went from 30 to 100.
The KBI provided an update, writing:
The KBI and the FBI, with assistance from KDHE and other partners, updated findings on the white powder found in letters sent to Kansas legislators and public officials. As of Sunday June 18, approximately 100 letters containing suspicious white powder have been received across the state of Kansas.
The KBI went on to reveal that it had sent a sample of the powder to a laboratory and that tests failed to find "biological agents of concern." Per the KBI:
A small sample of the letters containing powder was sent to a laboratory that specializes in testing biological samples. Preliminary tests have returned from this lab indicating the substance is presumptively negative for common biological agents of concern.
The KBI says that more testing will take place in order to try to determine what exactly the white powder is.
In the meantime, the KBI is cautioning everyone to remain vigilant when opening mail. The agency is also asking people to report any suspicious mail to the authorities.
