A suspicious letter sent to Linda Lingle's office yesterday contained a powder that appeared to be cornstarch, authorities said, making the Hawaii governor the latest state executive targeted by an apparent prank.

Officials Say Powder Found In Governor's Letter Harmless

 

Governor Linda Lingle the latest of 12 Governors to receive a suspicious letter.

 

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  The letter was discovered by an employee who was sorting mail and was told to be on the lookout for mail with a Texas return address, after similar letters were sent this week to governors in at least 12 states.

“;She (the employee) immediately reported it to our security detail,”; the governor's spokesman, Russell Pang, said.

Lingle was on Maui yesterday and out of the office when the letter was discovered.

The letter was found around 10:45 a.m. and prompted the shutdown of the Governor's Office for about 90 minutes as a Honolulu Fire Department hazardous materials team investigated.

Access to the fifth floor of the state Capitol was restricted during that time, although Honolulu Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the investigation was limited to the Governor's Office.

“;The only part of the building that was isolated was the Governor's Office,”; he said. “;No one was exposed.”;

The governor's security staff, using guidelines to prevent exposure, opened the letter and discovered a small bag with powder, Seelig said. They then called the Fire Department.

Seelig said a field test with a confidence rating of 98 percent indicated that the powder was cornstarch.

“;Based upon the situation, intelligence we've been aware of, the information we gathered and scientific evidence, we felt that it was most likely cornstarch,”; Seelig said.

The envelope and its contents were turned over to the FBI and U.S. Postal Service for further testing and investigation, Seelig said.

At least 12 governors have received similar letters this week. Envelopes have been received in Alabama, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Texas. Field tests have been negative for dangerous substances, but further lab tests are being conducted.

All of the envelopes have a Dallas postmark and are similar in nature, the FBI said in a statement. FBI spokesman Rich Kolko in Washington, D.C., said the Dallas FBI office is investigating and warned other states to be on the lookout for similar letters.

The FBI declined to say whether the letters were specifically addressed to each governor or written to a generic “;governor's office”; address.

“;Just because it's a hoax doesn't mean it's not a crime,”; Kolko said.