White powder in envelope empties three floors at DA's office
Firefighters outside DA's office. Photo by Jake Wark.
An envelope containing "a suspicious material" forced the evacuation of three floors of the Suffolk County District Attorney's office in Government Center this morning, in a replay of a similar scare at the Israeli consulate last month.
The person who opened the envelope, a Boston Police officer assigned to the DA’s Special Investigations Unit, contained the envelope in a secure environment and remained with it until he was cleared to leave by medical personnel. The building's ventilation system was shut down and employees on the second, third, and fourth floors were evacuated; business continued as usual on the remaining six floors. District Attorney Daniel F. Conley remained in the building and was never in danger.
Because the envelope came in the mail, federal officials have taken custody of the envelope and will test its contents, the DA's office reports. The affected floors re-opened after 30 minutes.
