An anonymous letter containing suspicious white powder was sent to the son of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, various media report yesterday.
After initial testing the substance does not appear to be dangerous, broadcasters NBC and ABC report said citing police and Trump insiders.
According to reports, Eric Trump’s wife Lara opened the letter and white powder fell from it. She immediately contacted the authorities.
ABC reported that the letter had a Massachusetts postmark and held a note threatening more serious measures in the future if Donald Trump did not end his presidential bid.
Eric Trump stood on the stage with his father after Trump’s primary victory in Florida on Tuesday. Eric has been a staunch supporter of his father.
The 32-year-old is the youngest of The Donald’s three children with first wife Ivana Trump. He is the executive vice president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organization. The businessman got married to CBS News producer Lara Yunaska in 2014. It’s not known whether he was at home at the time.
On a number of occasions, presumably politically motivated letters have been sent in the US containing white powder that is feared to be anthrax. Exposure to the nerve agent can lead to organ failure and death. Republican front-runner Trump has drawn ire from the Democrat opposition and moderates within his own party over the course of a controversial campaign, with many blaming his fiery rhetoric for violent clashes at rallies.
The threat comes days after white substances were delivered to senator Ted Cruz’s campaign headquarters in Houston and to senator Marco Rubio’s campaign headquarters in Washington. In both cases, the substances were non-toxic.
The powder sent to Rubio turned out to be laundry detergent, according to a spokesman for the senator’s now-scuttled campaign.
Meanwhile Hacktivist group Anonymous claimed they have hacked Donald Trump’s information “(releasing) what it claimed was Trump’s Social Security number, and a number it claims is his cell phone number as well as public information such as his birth date, children’s names, and company address in addition to outdated information such as his legal representation.”