PHOENIX — The Arizona executive tower at the state Capitol was evacuated Thursday after staffers in the Secretary of State's Office opened an envelope containing white powder.
Staff members who were exposed to the chemicals have been isolated, the office said in a news release.
The incident occurred just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The office described the incident as a "targeted threat" but did not immediately identify whether anyone was hurt.
The Arizona executive tower at 1700 W. Washington St. in Phoenix, pictured Thursday. It houses the offices of the governor, treasurer, secretary of state and other state agencies.
"This is a sobering moment that highlights the reality of election administration in this country today," Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a written statement.
The building, located off Washington Street at the State Capitol complex, houses the offices of the governor, treasurer, secretary of state and other state agencies. Fontes and Gov. Katie Hobbs were not in the building at the time, their offices said.
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The staffer who opened the envelope, and others who were in the vicinity, were being medically examined, according to spokesperson Calli Jones. Fontes’ team was alerted to the incident at about 3:45 p.m., Jones said.
The Secretary of State's Office was awaiting further information Thursday evening and had shut off access to the floor where the incident occurred, Jones said.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety, its Hazardous Materials Response Team, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were investigating, Hobbs' press secretary Liliana Soto told The Arizona Republic.
The evacuation came two days after a similar incident at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office in Baton Rouge, where staffers found a package containing white powder. Investigators there found no evidence of a harmful substance, and no injuries were reported, according to local media reports.
Elections officials in Ohio and Oklahoma also reported receiving suspicious packages earlier in October.
“We will not be scared out of doing our jobs on behalf of the voters of Arizona,” Fontes wrote. “As the election closes in, we know that threats will continue and we are on high alert to protect everyone on our team that is working overtime to serve Arizona.”
"Threats against our hard-working public servants are unacceptable," Hobbs said in a statement posted to social media. "Anybody responsible for threatening or intimidating elections officials should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
