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Suspicious powder discovered in letter addressed to Donald Trump

Posted at 11:47 PM, Apr 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-28 23:55:55-04

NEW YORK — The scene at Trump Tower in New York has been deemed safe after a letter addressed to Donald Trump contained a suspicious white powder, authorities said Thursday night.

The city’s health department will conduct further testing and analysis of the substance, a New York Police Department official told CNN.

An intern initially opened the envelope, which was quickly resealed by security, law enforcement officials told CNN Thursday night. They dialed 911 and the New York City Fire Department dispatched a unit to the 5th Avenue building in midtown Manhattan at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Of the six people present when the substance was first discovered, three men, all civilians, are currently being evaluated, the NYPD official told CNN. They have shown “no appearance of ill effect,” the official said.

Mail is normally opened in the Trump Tower basement before being brought up to its 5th floor offices, a law enforcement source told CNN. But it appears the mail was not screened before being brought upstairs.

Outside Trump Tower on Thursday night, the scene was quiet.

“As you can see, there’s not much urgency here,” the NYPD official said.

Trump is currently across the country, hosting a rally in Costa Mesa, California. His presidential campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.