FBI agents, members of the Secret Service and local law enforcement officers worked quickly to find the person suspected of sending letters with an anthrax-looking white powder in them to three different locations on March 14. According to a report by KWTV Channel 9 News in Oklahoma City, which was updated on March 15, the suspect is an inmate at the McAlester Correctional facility.
The first letter with the anthrax-looking substance arrived at the U.S. Attorney's Office in downtown Oklahoma City about 2 p.m. Law enforcement was called and the investigation started. About two hours later, another letter with the same anthrax-looking substance arrived at the Federal Courthouse. The Federal Courthouse is only a few blocks away from the U.S. Attorney's Office, both in downtown Oklahoma City. The third letter with the anthrax-looking substance arrived about 5:30 p.m. It was at the FBI headquarters in northwest Oklahoma City.
“I was really scared last night,” Linda Strauss, from Oklahoma City, said. “I work downtown. I kept thinking things like 'terrorism,' and 'germ warfare.' With everything going on in the world today, it is like your mind automatically goes there.”
Law enforcement quickly tested the anthrax-looking substance. Although the substance has yet to be identified, it was deemed “not dangerous” after initial testing. Further tests are still being conducted on the anthrax-looking white powder.
“Oklahoma City isn't immune to terrorism,” Strauss continued. “I was downtown when the Murrah Building was bombed. Even though it might not have been the Muslim Brotherhood sending the letters, bio-terrorism was still possible.”
Within a few hours of the last letter being delivered, law enforcement was able to determine who sent the three letters with the anthrax-looking white powder. The suspect is an inmate at the McAlester Correctional facility in east central Oklahoma.
“It is so sad we live in a world where we think about terrorism, bio-terrorism and germ warfare,” Strauss said. “Truth be told, we aren't as safe as we used to be. Not just from outside forces, but also from people who live her. We throw around words like germ warfare and bio-terrorism, but it is still a possibility. We learned that lesson, again, yesterday.”
At the time of publication, the name of the suspect had yet to be released. It is also unknown why the suspect is currently in federal prison. If law enforcement is aware of a motive for the inmate sending the anthrax-looking substance, they are not releasing that information.
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