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Suspicious packages were sent to election officials in at least six states on Monday, though none reported hazardous materials, according to a new report.
The packages contained powder and were shipped to election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Wyoming, according to the Associated Press.
“We have specific protocols in place for situations such as this,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement, according to the report.
“We immediately reported the incident per our protocols,” he added. The Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines was temporarily evacuated as a safety precaution.
In Kansas, first responders arrived at a state office building in Topeka on Monday afternoon following the discovery of suspicious packages. Topeka Fire Department spokesman Alan Stahl revealed that two packages were found.
One package was addressed to the Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab. The other was addressed to Attorney General Kris Koback, according to Fox 4 Kansas City.
“At 2:17pm today, occupants of Memorial Hall, located at 10th and Jackson in downtown Topeka, were evacuated as a precaution after a suspicious package was received by the Secretary of State’s Office. The precautionary evacuation allowed for a hazardous devices officer to enter and collect the package, which required a response from the Topeka Fire Department,” Kansas Highway Patrol spokeswoman April McCollum released in a statement to the outlet.
“Capitol Police were notified at 2:40pm of a second suspicious package received by the Attorney General’s Office. The second package was larger than the first package. The fire marshal is on scene and has requested the FBI to respond to collect that package. It is unknown at this time if the same person sent both packages. This is an active and ongoing investigation. Any further inquiries regarding the second package will need to be forwarded to the FBI,” the statement added.
The suspicious packages follow similar mailings that hit five states in November. In the previous mailings, targets included Washington state and Fulton County, Georgia, the largest voting area in a key swing state.
The reports also come only weeks ahead of the November presidential election between President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The suspicious packages also arrived just one day after the second assassination attempt against Trump in the past two months, leading to increased concerns over security issues related to both Trump and the election process.
