Anthrax Scare at Oregon Courthouse Just a Hoax

Two envelopes found, one under a door and one on the ground near the Linn County Courthouse, a permanent marker message left on a window claiming there was anthrax bacteria in those envelopes and 10 more envelopes in the building.... a hoax.

Early this morning a custodian found the envelopes and the message on the window, at the Linn County Courthouse in Albany, Oregon, and called the police. By 7 am the building was closed and cordoned off and later the streets around the building were closed and the Linn-Benton Hazmat Team proceeded to search the building and after two hours had found no other envelopes inside. According to Lt. Col. Steven Ferrell of the Oregon National Guard, the sugar like substance has been tested twice and it is not anthrax, despite the message on the window, which is now believed to have been some hoax. It is being investigated as a criminal investigation and although there were no security cameras where the envelopes were found, Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist says, "there may be some next week." From the CDC about Anthrax: Anthrax also can be used as a weapon. This happened in the United States in 2001. Anthrax was deliberately spread through the postal system by sending letters with powder containing anthrax. This caused 22 cases of anthrax infection. More on those 2001 anthrax scares can be found here, where Tom Daschle as well as Tom Brokaw, the NBC anchorman, were both sent letters which had the anthrax bacteria inside, which spawned fear of a different type of attack. Other politicians and news media followed. In 2003, the FBI found that those anthrax letters sent to politicians in the US had been prepared underwater using equipment investigators have discovered in a Maryland pond. A hoax such as this will spur an intense criminal investigation.