FBI: Inmate sent letters to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Bar

Suspicious letters delivered this week to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Bar Association appear to have been sent from an inmate at a corrections facility in Georgia, the FBI said.

The suspicious letters in both incidents tested negative for any hazardous materials, FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett said.

A hazmat team was called to The AJC’s Dunwoody headquarters after the letter arrived in the mailroom Wednesday morning, newspaper general manager Brian Cooper said in a memo to employees.

According to that memo, the suspicious letter “had some white powder seep out when picked up.

“The envelope was promptly sealed in [a] plastic bag and then in [a] containment box. As well, the ventilation system in the basement was closed off.”

Emmett said the letter was similar to one received Tuesday at the Georgia Bar Association’s Marietta Street office. Officials have not said what the powdery substances in both incidents were.

Cooper gave the “all-clear” just before 12:20 p.m.