NEW YORK CITY — Law enforcement officials are searching for one person they say is responsible for mailing 380 suspicious envelopes to elementary, middle and high schools, as well as government offices and other institutions across the U.S., the FBI announced Wednesday.
Two elite lower Manhattan schools, which received envelopes containing white powder last Thursday, May 10, were among those terrorized by the mysterious substance sent out last week with a North Texas postmark, a source told DNAinfo.com New York.
The substance, which was discovered at P.S. 234 in TriBeCa and NEST+m on the Lower East Side, turned out to be harmless, police said.
But in March, P.S. 290 on the Upper East Side was also plagued with a delivery of a non-hazardous powdered substance. And on Monday, April 30, five Manhattan branches of Wells Fargo banks, and the Midtown offices of JP Morgan Chase, as well as Mayor Bloomberg's office Downtown, received envelopes with powder inside.
At a Dallas, Texas, news conference on Wednesday, FBI officials said the suspect is believed to have sent 380 envelopes to schools, churches, day care centers, government offices, U.S. embassies abroad, restaurants, aerospace-related facilities and other private businesses.
The activity has gone on since 2008, authorities say, but in one week's time, the suspect shipped over 20 letters containing white powder, starting May 7, 2012.
Each letter has been sent through U.S. mail, and authorities released a sample copy of the type of letter that has been found with the mailings.
The FBI noted that the author commonly references Al Qaeda and the Nazi SS in these letters, mainly for shock value, they believe.
One recent letter mentioned “Scooby Doo” and “triple dealer spy," as well as CIA counterintelligence, and FBI internal affairs.
They believe the suspect is likely to be a male who may not demonstrate a mastery of formal English. The suspect is also likely to be over the age of 30 and perceived by others as odd or eccentric.
The suspect may have a history of medical challenges and may be unusually fascinated with certain topics, such as the FBI, intelligence, terrorism or conspiracy theories, officials said.
The FBI announced a reward of up to $150,000 for useful information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the recent mailings of letters containing white powder in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Anyone with information relating to this case is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or visit https://tips.fbi.gov.
