Threatening package to Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office found to be non-hazardous

The package, which contained a white powder, led to an evacuation Friday of the office.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 1, 2024 at 2:31PM
Secretary of State Steve Simon and others spoke about election security earlier this month. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The contents of a suspicious package that caused an evacuation of the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office has been deemed non-hazardous.

The office was evacuated Friday after a package arrived there with the return address of “United States Traitor Elimination Army.”

The white powder inside the package was tested by the Minnesota Department of Health and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and both concluded it was not hazardous, Secretary of State Steve Simon’s office said Saturday.

In a statement, Simon said: “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.”

The Health Department is continuing to run tests, Simon’s office said, and the incident is being investigated by the FBI, postal inspectors and the State Patrol.

Last week, offices in 15 other states received similar packages that also contained a mysterious white powder. Those incidents remain under investigation.

The Secretary of State’s Office has not released details about the size or appearance of the suspect package.

about the writer

Mike Hughlett

Reporter

Mike Hughlett covers energy and other topics for the Star Tribune, where he has worked since 2010. Before that he was a reporter at newspapers in Chicago, St. Paul, New Orleans and Duluth.

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