Suspicious
envelope closes
governor’s office

A mail worker found
white powder and a
threatening letter inside

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Star-Bulletin

Capitol security and Honolulu police this morning closed the governor's office on the fifth floor of the state Capitol after a suspicious envelope was opened.

Gov. Ben Cayetano's spokeswoman said the envelope was opened in the Capitol secured mailroom by a state worker wearing a mask and gloves and the envelope contained an unidentified white powder.

A letter in the envelope was of a "threatening nature," said Jackie Kido, Cayetano's communications director.

The Capitol's four elevators were closed after the incident was reported at 11:18 a.m. The air conditioning system was also shut down.

The Capitol and governor's office were reopened at about 1:30 p.m. after a fire department hazardous materials team used a field test to determine the power was not anthrax. The material was sent to the Health Department for further analysis.

Kido said the governor's office instituted a secure mailroom after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

All mail addressed to the governor is opened by a state worker wearing gloves and a mask. The woman who opened the envelope and another female worker were quarantined as a precaution.

This is the first incident of suspicious mail being sent to the governor's office, Kido said.