US Secret Service officials on Wednesday said, a letter addressed to President Obama, containing a suspicious substance, was intercepted at a screening facility outside the White House.
The letter to Obama was intercepted at an off-site White House mail facility and was being tested further, the FBI said. A federal law enforcement official said that the letter was “very similar” to one addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
Both letters arrived Tuesday at off-site postal facilities set up after the 2001 anthrax attacks and have been sent to laboratories for additional tests, authorities said.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said, “A letter addressed to the president containing a suspicious substance was received at the remote White House mail screening facility.”
This comes as Washington was on heightened alert in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings Monday, although there was no indication the letters or suspicious packages were related to the Boston events.
White House spokesman Jay Carney also said the president was briefed on the suspicious letters Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning.
