Several fall ill at US base due to suspicious white powder package

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: CNN
Today 12:12

The envelope was opened inside a room in a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews.

Listen

Military personnel watch as Air Force One, with President Donald Trump aboard, prepares to depart at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the United States, on February 17, 2017 (AP)

Several people fell ill and were hospitalized after a suspicious package containing an unknown white powder was opened at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, CNN reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the investigation.

The envelope was opened inside a room in a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center, according to CNN.

Response and medical treatment

Joint Base Andrews said the event occurred after an individual “opened a suspicious package,” adding that “as a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated, and a cordon was established around the area.”

Several people were transported to the Malcolm Grow Medical Center on the base for evaluation; the extent of their illnesses has not been disclosed.

Base first responders and a HAZMAT team initially evaluated the scene. An initial field test from the HAZMAT team did not detect anything hazardous, CNN reported, citing a source. First responders later turned the scene over to the Office of Special Investigations as the inquiry continued.

Authorities investigate mysterious white powder

CNN said the package and its contents are under investigation and that two sources described the substance as an unknown white powder.

US authorities have not yet released the number of people affected, specific symptoms, or the results of any laboratory analyses. Officials are treating the incident with caution because Joint Base Andrews is a high-profile military installation.

Joint Base Andrews holds exceptional strategic and symbolic importance for the US. Located just outside Washington, D.C., it serves as the home base of Air Force One, the aircraft that transports the US president, and hosts units such as the 89th Airlift Wing and the Air National Guard Readiness Center.

The base functions as a key hub for national command, executive travel, and emergency response, making any security incident there, however minor, a matter of high-level concern. Even where a field test is negative, protocols for suspicious powders and potential chemical or biological threats require containment, medical assessment, and law-enforcement follow-up.