A letter mailed to the Minnesota Supreme Court has been confiscated and is being scrutinized for having a suspicious substance on it, authorities said Wednesday.

The letter was discovered Tuesday afternoon, and Capitol security was notified, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske.

The St. Paul Fire Department took possession of the letter and transferred it to a lab for testing of the small amount of substance, Roeske added.

Authorities have yet to explain what it was about the substance that aroused suspicions or whether the letter was addressed to someone specifically.

No one was harmed, and there was no evacuation of the court, Roeske said.

Paul Walsh