WASHINGTON, DC — The FBI says that a man has been arrested in Everett in connection with several suspicious packages that were sent to various military and government locations Monday in the Washington, D.C. area.
The FBI and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office arrested Thanh Cong Phan, 43, at his home in Everett late Monday night.
43-yo Thanh Cong Phan appears in US District Court in Seattle, suspected of sending suspicious packages to multiple federal agencies. He was arrested at his Everett home last night. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/Z0JQDNd6AH
— AMY CLANCY (@ClancyKIRO7) March 27, 2018
The FBI said its investigation determined that the packages contained potential destructive devices and appeared to be sent by the same individual from the Seattle area.
A package containing explosive material was sent to Fort McNair, according to CNN.
Two packages were also received at Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, Virginia. One went to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the second was sent to a defense university on post, WRC reported.
Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC, Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., a CIA mail processing facility and a White House mail processing facility also received suspicious packages, NBC News reported.
The packages received at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and the Dahlgren Naval Air Station did not contain explosives, CBS News reported.
The packages, which were all sent through the mail, included letters that were described as disturbed and rambling, NBC News reported.
They were detected by scanning machines and all were rendered safe with no injuries reported, NBC News reported.
The Washington Post reported that at least one of the packages contained black powder, which can be used in explosives. One of the packages discovered at Fort Belvoir also tested positive for black powder and residue. An x-ray showed what could have been a GPS device and fuse, CNN reported.
Phan was in court Tuesday afternoon and was ordered to remain behind bars. His next court appearance is Friday.
Investigators say surveillance video from a Mill Creek postal facility showed Phan mailing the packages from there nearly two weeks ago.
Investigators believe the Everett man may have mental health issues and was in that state when he dropped the packages in the mail. He is believed to have sent 11 packages in all.
A law enforcement source in Washington State told CBS News there does not appear to be any connection to terrorism.
The FBI says Phan does not appear to have an ideology.
Snohomish County deputies told KIRO 7 they encountered Phan during a mental health call seven years ago.
Cox Media Group
