FBI Announces Reward for Information Leading to the Arrest and Conviction of the Person(s) Responsible for Mailings of White Powder Letters

Kevin F. Kolbye, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Dallas, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Randall C. Till, Inspector in Charge, Fort Worth Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), announce a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the recent mailings of letters containing white powder in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The reward flyer is posted below.

During the week of May 7, 2012, over 20 letters containing white powder were received by early childhood development centers, elementary schools, and an aerospace-related business. These letters were received in Texas and several other states. The FBI, USPIS, local law enforcement, and local fire department hazardous materials teams responded to each location and field screened the letters for the presence of toxins or poisons. To date, none of the mailings have contained hazardous materials.

Each letter was sent through the U.S. mail and featured a postmark from North Texas. It is highly likely these letters were sent by the same person responsible for mailing over 380 letters, beginning in late 2008, each of which contained a non-hazardous substance. This person has sent letters to elementary, middle, and high schools; day care centers; churches; government offices; U.S. Embassies abroad; restaurants; and other private businesses. A sample letter is posted below.

The author has and continues to reference subjects such as al Qaeda and the Nazi SS, which is believed to have been included for shock value rather than to express any sincere sympathy or affiliation. In a recent letter, he used the terms “Scooby Doo” and “triple dealer spy” and made reference to CIA counterintelligence and FBI internal affairs.

The sender has taken steps to conceal his activities and prevent law enforcement from finding physical evidence of his crimes, including his fingerprints. A flyer announcing the reward along with possible details about the subject has been posted on the Dallas FBI website (www.fbi.gov/dallas) and on the USPIS website (postalinspectors.uspis.gov).

Although mail is screened for toxic substances prior to delivery, the public is reminded to take the following precautions should they open a piece of mail with a powdery substance in it.

1.Leave the immediate area where the powder was spilled but keep yourself separated from individuals who have not been exposed to the powder. Do not attempt to clean up the powder and do not move the letter. Isolate the area where the spill has occurred.

2.Wash hands immediately.

3.Call 911 and advise them of the receipt of the mailing.

4.Remember, all instances of white powder in this matter have tested negative for a toxic substance. The white powder, however, should still be handled with caution until verification of its lack of toxicity is received.

Anyone with information concerning these letters should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by visiting https://tips.fbi.gov.

Director Testifies on FBI’s Evolution Over Past Decade

The Director described the continuing threats posed by al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations and the ongoing difficulty of detecting homegrown extremists. He specifically cited the example of the self-radicalized Rezwan Ferdaus, a Boston graduate student who allegedly planned to use unmanned, remote-controlled aircraft to attack the Capitol and other D.C. locations before his arrest in September.

On the cyber front, the Director indicated that the FBI last year “arrested a record 202 individuals for criminal intrusions, up from 159 in 2009,” including five of the world’s top cyber criminals. He also mentioned the FBI’s work to bring down the international Coreflood botnet in April and to help take down last month a cyber criminal network that had infected four million computers in more than 100 countries.

In the area of corporate and securities fraud, the Director said that the “FBI and its law enforcement partners continue to uncover major frauds, insider trading activity, and Ponzi schemes.” He said that at the end of fiscal year 2011 (September 30), the FBI “had more than 2,500 active corporate and securities fraud investigations,” a 47 percent increase since fiscal year 2008, and that during 2011 the FBI helped obtain an historic high of 611 convictions. The Director reaffirmed that the “FBI is pursuing those who commit fraud at every level and is working to ensure that those who played a role in the recent financial crisis are brought to justice.”

Al Qaeda Manual

The manual was located in Manchester (England) by Metropolitan Police during a search of an Al Qaeda member's home. The manual was found in a computer file described as "the military series" related to the "Declaration of Jihad." The manual was translated into English and was introduced earlier this year at the embassy bombing trial in New York. The United States Department of Justice has removed certain portions of the text because they do not want to encourage terrorism. However, a brief selection the eighty page text demonstrates the value of the manual to emergency planners and first responders.

DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL
www.hitechcj.com/id223.html