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yesterday

No Dangerous Substance Detected in Suspicious Envelopes at ICE Office as FBI Probe Continues

After preliminary on-site tests showed no hazardous material, building operations resumed at 26 Federal Plaza with the FBI forwarding the five envelopes to its Quantico lab for definitive analysis

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Members of the F.D.N.Y., N.Y.P.D. and F.B.I. evacuate 26 Federal Plaza which houses immigration court, immigration detention facilities and F.B.I. offices after envelopes were discovered with a white powder substance in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., August 14, 2025. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado
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Overview

  • Envelopes containing white powder and threatening letters were discovered Thursday afternoon in the Enforcement and Removal Operations mailroom on the ninth floor of 26 Federal Plaza, prompting an evacuation and hazmat response.
  • Initial on-site testing by FDNY hazmat crews and city officials found no hazardous material, allowing the building to reopen on Friday.
  • The FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction and Hazardous Evidence Response Teams are leading the criminal probe, having sent the five envelopes to the Quantico laboratory for definitive analysis.
  • Two individuals who came into contact with the powder were decontaminated; no injuries to the public have been reported.
  • The incident at a federal hub housing ICE, DHS and an immigration court follows protests and a recent federal judge’s order to improve detainee conditions, though no motive or suspect has been identified.