13 Letters with White Powder Sent to the Wall Street Journal

For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 21, 2009
FBI KnoxvilleContact:
Media Representative Stacie Bohanan(865) 544-3518

Suspicious White Powder Letters Postmarked from Knoxville Received in New York and Massachusetts

On Wednesday January 21, approximately 13 powder-laden envelopes were received at the office of the Wall Street Journal in New York City. The letters reportedly bear a Knoxville, Tennessee postmark. New York City Police Department's Emergency Services Unit and the FBI responded to the scene and are testing the letters to determine whether they contain a hazardous substance.

An additional letter was also received today at Harvard Law School addressed to Alan Dershowitz. This letter was also postmarked Knoxville, Tennessee.

“Right now our first priority is the safety of our citizens,” said Richard Lambert, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Knoxville. “We take these matters seriously and will investigate all leads to determine who sent the letters and why.”

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces in New York, Boston and Knoxville in partnership with the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Anyone with information concerning who may be sending these letters is requested to contact the Knoxville FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force at 865-470-0007 or at www.fbi.gov.

If you receive a letter, please notify the FBI and your local authorities. Information on how to handle suspicious mail can be found at www.fbi.gov.