Suspicious white powder mailings target offices of Republican senators

The offices of Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Susan Collins received envelopes containing a suspicious white powder on Friday. The New York Post reported that more than a dozen lawmakers have now been targeted by the suspicious mailings. Law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Capitol Police are investigating the letters, several of which were intercepted before reaching their destinations. [1]

Senator Cruz stated on social media that his Houston office received a suspicious piece of mail with a white powder substance on Friday afternoon. He added that the FBI, the Houston Police Department, the Houston Fire Department, and the United States Capitol Police responded quickly to the incident. [1]

The incidents follow earlier reports of similar suspicious packages sent across the country. As FTMQ News reported earlier, election officials in Ohio, Louisiana, and Oklahoma received packages containing white powder earlier in the week, causing office closures and law enforcement investigations. [6]

The packages sent to the two senators also follow recent heated political debates. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Senator Collins was involved in a tense Maine Senate debate on Thursday where opponent Troy Jackson told her to shut up. [4][5][7]