Multiple people fall ill at US military base after suspicious package opened
Multiple people have fallen ill after a suspicious package was delivered to a US military base in the state of Maryland.
A building on Joint Base Andrews was evacuated after an individual “opened a suspicious package”, CNN cited a statement from the base as saying on Thursday.
According to the report, several of those sickened were transported to the Malcolm Grove Medical Center on the base.
“As a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated, and a cordon was established around the area,” the statement was quoted as saying.
“Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and have turned the scene over to the Office of Special Investigations. An investigation is currently ongoing.”
Citing two sources familiar with the probe, the broadcaster said the package contained an unknown white powder.
An initial field test from the HAZMAT team did not detect anything hazardous, but the investigation remains underway, according to a source familiar with the issue.
Joint Base Andrews is among the military’s most key installations.
It hosts the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control center if needed.
This is not the first time suspicious letters have made headlines in the US.
In 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to media outlets and the offices of two US senators. The attacks killed five people and sickened 17 others.
The letters caused widespread fear, disrupted government operations, and led to a massive federal investigation. The case, known as “Amerithrax,” remained open for years before the FBI concluded that a government scientist, Bruce Ivins, was responsible. He died by suicide in 2008 before facing trial.
More than two decades later, in 2024, election officials across at least 15 US states received suspicious letters, some containing white powder. The incidents prompted evacuations and heightened security, though no serious injuries were reported.
The events drew comparisons to the 2001 anthrax attacks, though the substances in the 2024 letters were not lethal.
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