Kansas law enforcement officials are investigating an unidentified suspect who sent about 100 letters containing suspicious white powder to lawmakers and officials across the state, many of them Republicans. ing.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the FBI, and the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment (KDHE) have launched an investigation after officials in the state began receiving letters containing a white, powdery substance. By Friday afternoon, 30 such letters had arrived, and by Sunday the number had risen to nearly 100, according to the KBI. announced in a press release.
ABC reported that lawmakers and officials in Kansas received threatening letters filled with white power.
They did not mention being sent to the state Republican Party. Even though I showed him a letter addressed to Rep. Tory Marie Blue. pic.twitter.com/ixDE1lvG6Z— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) June 19, 2023
Preliminary testing of the white powder found the material to be negative for “biological agents of concern,” but further testing will be conducted to determine the material’s composition, the release said. .
A printed letter received by Republican state legislator Stephen Owens began with a “greeting” before mentioning the eerie content in it. “In honor of your recent achievements, I am sending you a special Astrak gift from his Baruch collection. It is important to keep your ambitions open.” . CNN report. (Related: Report: Manhattan Attorney’s Office Receives Suspicious Powdered Envelope During Trump Investigation)
one online commenter It has been suggested that “Asstrak Baruch” may refer to Jean Asstrak, an 18th-century French doctor whose family had Jewish roots, and Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century Dutch philosopher who was Jewish. bottom.
It remains unclear why officials, who believe Owens is mostly Republican, received the threatening letters, but a veto power the state legislature successfully disabled this year regarding transgender athletes and athletes. State representatives suggest it may be related to abortionthe outlet reported.
“I have a question that maybe it has something to do with some of the veto powers that we have overridden. It’s really scary,” Owens told CNN.
Owens told the magazine that the letter he received was from a church in his area. “It was very intentional, very intentional, to get us to open the letter,” he said. The lawmaker also said the letter did not threaten him, but rather strengthened his resolve.
