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Clinton Campaign Office Evacuated over White Substance in Envelope | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, October 21, 2016. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images / ROBYN BECK


An envelope containing a white powdery substance was sent to one of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign offices in New York, causing an evacuation, though police initially ruled out any danger.

The envelope was first delivered to the White House hopeful’s offices in Manhattan, where campaign workers then transferred it to her Brooklyn headquarters, New York Police Department Lieutenant Thomas Antonetti told Agence France Presse.

“The preliminary investigation determined that it was negative in terms of containing a hazardous substance,” he added, noting the Department of Health was conducting further evaluation to determine the nature of the substance.
Antonetti said the envelope also contained writing, but no death threats.

“We’re trying to determine what the substance was. For right now, we can at least rule out any poisonous or deadly nature of the substance,” Antonetti said.

The discovery triggered the evacuation of the 11th floor of the Brooklyn headquarters, a New York Police Department spokesman said.

A total of four people were exposed to the substance, police said, though there have been no injuries or reported illnesses.