Man Arrested for Suspicious Packages Sent to Military Sites

Authorities in Seattle have arrested a man suspected of sending suspicious packages to multiple military installations in the Washington, D.C. region, a U.S. law enforcement official said Tuesday.

The packages were similarly designed and contained black powder along with rambling, nonsensical notes similar to those the man has been known to send in the past, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly before an official announcement, and did so on condition of anonymity.

Authorities did not immediately name the man but said he was known to law enforcement. He was arrested late Monday. The FBI in Seattle did not immediately comment but said more information would be forthcoming.

Roughly a dozen sites received packages Monday, including Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in the district and at Fort Belvoir, in Virginia, as well as the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, in Dahlgren, Va. No injuries were reported, and the FBI said each package was collected for further analysis.

The man’s motive was not immediately clear, but the official said there was no immediate connection to terrorism.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters on Tuesday that that all of the packages sent to Defense Department facilities are under the control of the federal authorities.

“Basically there’s a set procedure, they went through the procedure,” said Mattis. “We’ve had nobody injured and all those packages and all the evidence is accessible and is the hands of the FBI right now.”