Man Shipped Explosive Powder To Dozens Of DC Area Places: FBI

A man has been charged in federal court for shipping explosive materials to least 10 government and military locations in the DC area. Thanh Cong Phan, 43, of Everett, Wash. was arrested Monday after the first packages had been found at mail screening locations.

None of the packages exploded or caused injuries, according to the FBI's Washington Field Office. Phan is accused of sending the packages to the following locations:

• Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• Central Intelligence Agency, Langley, Va.
• Mark Center Building, Alexandria, Va.
• National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
• Naval Service Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va.
• Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, DC
• Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC
• Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington DC
• Government Mail Facility (3300 V Street NE), Washington, DC
• National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Md.

The FBI believes there could be additional packages. The agency is attempting to track down all packages and investigate the contents.

Phan became the suspect when the U.S. Postal Service traced a package back to a post office in Washington state, where surveillance footage recorded him. The FBI says writings in the package were also similar to his previous writings to various government agencies. Because of these writings and frequent contact with 911 operators, Phan was known to police prior to his arrest.

He faces up to 10 years in prison. The FBI has not indicated a possible motive.

For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.

Image via Olivier Doulier - Pool/Getty Images