Crime & Safety
UPDATE: All-Clear at American-Islamic Relations Group After HQ Evacuated in DC
Preliminary field tests indicate the substance is not dangerous, letter is now in the hands of the FBI for more extensive tests, group says.

PHOTO of CAIR Capitol Hill office Thursday afternoon; photo by CAIR via Facebook
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UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: Employees at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are free to return to their Capitol Hill office Thursday after officials examined a “suspicious” powder found in an envelope, the group reported.
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Preliminary field tests indicate the substance is not dangerous, and the letter is now in the hands of the FBI for more extensive tests and investigation, according to CAIR.
The Capitol Hill office for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Southeast D.C. was evacuated Thursday afternoon, after the powdery substance was found in an envelope, the group reported on social media.
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The office is located at 453 New Jersey Ave. SE.
“We receive hate messages daily because of our advocacy on behalf of the American #Muslim community,” the group wrote Thursday afternoon on its Facebook page.
“It’s frightening to experience the hate manifest itself to such a real level,” Maha Sayed, Staff Attorney, wrote. “This will not deter us from continuing to protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.”Attorney.
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