An envelope sent from Hong Kong sparked a security scare this week at a Washington DC building housing the office of former US president Barack Obama, after it was found to contain a white “powdery substance,” according to reports.
The substance was later found to be baby powder, US media reported.
According to FOX 5, an official said the letter was sent from Hong Kong but included no return address.
It was found at the headquarters of the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Washington at about 11am on Tuesday.
Obama has rented space in the building since leaving the White House in January 2017, though it’s unclear whether the former president was there when the incident was reported.
Emergency services personnel wearing hazmat suits arrived at the site to investigate, while the FBI and Secret Service also responded, it was reported.
FOX 5 reported that the Obama’s family in DC is not far from the office building.
It reported that the letter was mailed to the WWF, which told the outlet it was the second instance in two days that their organization had received a package containing white powder after one — also deemed not hazardous — turned up at their Switzerland HQ on Monday.
FOX 5 reported the scare did not appear to be linked to the white substance sent — along with a threatening note — to Donald Trump Jr’s wife in New York on Monday.
Vanessa Trump was rushed to the hospital after she opened a letter containing a suspicious white powder.
The letter, which was reportedly addressed to her husband, contained a note that read, “You’re an awful person and now you get what you deserve,” according to reports.
