FBI nabs suspect accused of sending hundreds of white powder letters to public officials: source

FBI nabs suspect accused of sending hundreds of white powder letters to public officials: source

Suspicious letters were sent to more than 100 locations

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Published November 3, 2026 11:16am EST | Updated November 3, 2026 12:46pm EST

FBI nabs suspect in nationwide white powder mailings

The FBI arrested an Oklahoma City man suspected of sending hundreds of suspicious white powder letters to election offices and public officials nationwide.

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FIRST ON FOX: The FBI arrested an Oklahoma City man early Monday suspected of sending hundreds of letters containing suspicious white powder to public officials across the country during the 2024 and 2026 election cycles, a federal law enforcement source told Fox News Digital.

The suspect’s initial court appearance is expected Tuesday afternoon. The letters were sent to more than 100 locations, including multiple secretary of state and election offices, the source said.

The FBI’s Oklahoma City field office, FBI Criminal Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), U.S. Capitol Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) led the investigation.

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[FBI PROBES SUSPICIOUS WHITE POWDER LETTERS SENT TO SCHUMER, DEM SENATORS AS THREAT SPREADS NATIONWIDE]

The arrest comes as federal authorities investigate suspicious letters mailed to congressional and election offices ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

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U.S. Capitol police ride past the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 13, 2022. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

The FBI said it was working with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to investigate “a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices,” The Associated Press reported last month.

Authorities had warned recipients to treat the mailings as “potentially hazardous” as authorities worked to intercept additional letters before they reached their destinations, according to the outlet.

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The FBI arrested an Oklahoma City man early Monday who allegedly sent hundreds of letters containing suspicious white powder to public officials across the country.(BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP)

The FBI said in an Oct. 23 advisory that no hazardous material had been identified in the suspicious substances tested at that point, though laboratory testing remained ongoing.

Several Senate offices reported receiving or being sent suspicious mail.

[JUDGE TOSSES CASE AGAINST EX-FBI OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION]

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The arrest comes as federal authorities investigate suspicious letters mailed to congressional and election offices ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.(Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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A letter addressed to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester’s Delaware office was intercepted by Capitol Police, while suspicious mail addressed to the offices of Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., were intercepted by postal authorities, AP reported.

[ILLINOIS MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING CONGRESS WITH WHITE SUBSTANCES IN LETTERS MARKED WITH HIS RETURN ADDRESS]

Similar suspicious letters were sent to election offices in more than 15 states during the 2024 election cycle, prompting evacuations and hazmat responses, The Associated Press reported at the time. Authorities determined that some of the substances were harmless.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Story tips can be sent to sophia.compton@fox.com.