PORTLAND -- Envelopes labeled "anthrax" with an unidentified powdery substance inside were found at the Portland International Airport and the downtown Hilton Hotel Wednesday afternoon. But they did not contain harmful material, investigators said.
Authorities told KGW one envelope was found in the airport management offices and it had the word "anthrax" on it with cut-out letters.
A short time later, a suspicious envelope containing an unknown powder was found at the Hilton in downtown Portland. That envelope also had the word "anthrax" on it, authorities said.
Portland Fire Bureau sources said the powder was inside both envelopes along with a folded piece of paper. The powder fell out when the paper was removed from the envelopes.
Authorities told KGW both envelopes had traveled through the postal system which means they were screened by anthrax-detecting equipment.
An all-clear was called at the airport around 6:30 p.m. and at the Hilton Hotel around 7:30pm. There were some evacuations downtown but no one with any signs of illness.
There were no suspects in the cases and it was unknown if they were related, police said.
The FBI has taken custody of both letters and sent them to the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory for additional testing, FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said in a statement. That could take as long as five days, she said.
"The FBI takes all white powder threats -- including those that turn out to be hoaxes -- very seriously," she said. "Anyone who sends a threat such as these can expect us to investigate thoroughly and aggressively."
Just the day before, suspicious powder was found in an envelope on the third floor of the Lloyd Center Mall. That envelope was also undergoing additional testing at the public health lab, Steele said.
In that case, the envelope was found in a mail room. Seven employees who came into contact with the envelope were checked and briefly isolated. None were sickened by the powder.
On April 26, a similar incident was reported at the federal courthouse.
More: Suspicious envelope, powder in Lloyd Center Mall
Investigators said they tested that powder and it did not turn out to be harmful. The incident was eventually deemed an "anthrax hoax."
