KBI has 'a lot of clues' to help arrest whoever mailed white powder to Kansas politicians
The head of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is "very optimistic" that law enforcement will catch whoever mailed letters with white powder to more than 100 politicians.
"The person or people who did this have left behind a lot of clues — what was written, how it was written, how it was printed, where it was mailed, when it was mailed, how it was mailed — all of those are very, very valuable clues," said Tony Mattivi, the KBI director. "And I'm very optimistic that we're going to apprehend the person or people responsible for it."
The letters containing a suspicious white powder appear to have been sent to the homes of Republican lawmakers and the office of Attorney General Kris Kobach. A motive remains unknown, but contents of the letters indicate it may be connected to political debates over legislation restricting transgender rights.
The KBI previously said no injuries had been reported, and the FBI said that "laboratory testing at this time has not indicated a risk to public safety," while additional testing was needed. Attorney General Kris Kobach told News Nation that it may be a mixture of rat poison with another powder, such as baking powder, but testing has not yet led to a conclusive identification.
"Just because this powder may ultimately prove to be harmless doesn't mean this was a harmless offense, right?" Mattivi said. "For 96 hours, we had an unprecedented engagement as a result of this offense. And I have a very high degree of confidence that, for example, we missed a load of fentanyl that was transported into this state. We couldn't go after it, because we were tied up responding to these letters.
"So even if the substance proves to be harmless, this offense was not harmless. And we want the person or people responsible for it to be held accountable for that when they finally are apprehended."
The response included 60 KBI personnel, every bomb squad and every hazmat unit in the state as well as local, state and federal agency personnel.
More: Over 100 Kansas lawmakers get letter with suspicious white powder. Here's what we know.
What charges could perpetrators face?
Perpetrators could face federal and state criminal charges, including under domestic terrorism laws, said Mattivi, who is a former federal and state prosecutor.
He declined to discuss specific charges, noting that prosecutorial decisions will be made "far down the road, not by me."
Mattivi also declined to comment on the specifics of the investigation. The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation since its scope has expanded beyond Kansas, with similar events in Montana and Tennessee plus letters to former President Donald Trump and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
"I'm not going to comment on the specifics of the investigation because I don't want to prejudice our ability to apprehend this person or these people," he said.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: KBI expects arrests after white powder mailed to Kansas politicians
