White Powder Sent To Congressional Candidate Karen Handel Believed To Be Non-Hazardous (UPDATED)

ROSWELL, GA — FBI agents and local police are investigating threats and a suspicious white powder found in packages mailed to a Georgia congressional candidate, her neighbors and two Atlanta broadcast stations.

Karen Handel, the Republican running in Georgia's heated 6th District special election, received the threatening letter and powder at her home.

Roswell police blocked off Roxbugh Drive to investigate the packages, which arrived at the homes of Handel and several of her neighbors. Handel's subdivision is located off Old Alabama Road east of State Route 400 in north Fulton County, the heart of the 6th District. FBI Atlanta Field Office Special Agent Stephen Emmett said similar packages were received by Fox 5 Atlanta's office in DeKalb County and WXIA 11 Alive's offices in Atlanta.

Emmett said more than a dozen letters are under review, and of the several that were opened, all contained "threat based content." A total of nine letters were not delivered, as they were intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service before they were sent out.

While initial field testing has yielded negative results for any known hazards, additional testing will be conducted by the Georgia Department of Public Health "out of an abundance of caution," the FBI added.

Handel is deadlocked in a race against Democrat Jon Ossoff to fill the seat vacated by Tom Price, who resigned when he was named Health and Human Services secretary by President Trump. Voters will decide the race on Tuesday, June 20. The race is viewed as an early indicator of the 2018 U.S. House elections and has attracted national attention and millions of dollars in donations from around the country.

While the FBI didn't provide Patch with exact details of what the letters said, reporter Brent Scher at the Free Beacon posted an image of one of the letters on Twitter:

After receiving the package Thursday afternoon, Handel's campaign said it quickly notified police and it will "continue to coordinate with law enforcement as necessary."

"It is frustrating that my neighbors have been affected in this way," Handel said late Thursday evening. "Steve and I know that running for public office often brings these kinds of challenges, but our neighbors did not sign up for this. For someone to bring them into this race in this way is despicable. At the end of the day, however, we are grateful. We have great neighbors who extended many acts of kindness. Our first responders are awesome. Even in this highly charged environment, Steve and I feel safe."

Emmett reminded local news outlets receiving suspicious packages to follow appropriate HAZMAT protocols and, after appropriate reporting, contact the FBI Atlanta Field Office.

Roswell police spokesperson Lisa Holland said the agency has tested samples of the powder sent to the homes, and preliminary results also show the substance to be baking soda.

For his part, Democratic contender Ossoff stated his campaign has also received a number of threats, "some of which have intensified in recent days and we have reported them to local police as well as taken prudent precautions."

"These recent events speak to the need for a redoubled commitment to civility and unity," Ossoff said in a statement. "The overwhelming majority of Americans want decent and civil political dialogue, and candidates for office and elected leaders must continue to call for calm and unity, even when there are intense differences of opinion.”

Image via Karen Handel's campaign