Indiana Secretary of State’s Office receives suspicious envelope with powdery substance

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Secretary of State’s Office reported on Tuesday law enforcement and hazardous materials agencies responded after employees there called to report the delivery of a suspicious envelope containing a powdery substance.

Safety and law enforcement agencies arrived at the State Government Center to secure the immediate area, conduct tests, and remove the suspicious material.

Responding agencies included Indiana Capital Police, Indiana State Police, State Fire Marshall, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, State and Post Office hazardous materials units, and the FBI.

After field testing by the authorities, the contents of the envelope were preliminarily determined to be non-hazardous.

The envelope and contents will be taken to an FBI laboratory for forensic testing. 

No injuries have been reported from the incident.

The Indiana Secretary of State’s Office received alerts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and federal law enforcement agencies to be alert for suspicious, potentially dangerous election mail.

Other states have reported receiving suspicious election mail to Secretary of State Offices across the country.

“We take every precaution to ensure the safety of our employees and the public.  I want to especially thank members of my team; our law enforcement partners and other first responders for their swift and professional response.  We are relieved that everyone is safe,” said Diego Morales, Indiana Secretary of State.

According to the Associated Press, as of Tuesday, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by elections officials in over a dozen states.

The AP reports there have been no reports of injuries or that any of the packages contained hazardous material.