Parcel addressed to Napolitano ignites in DC

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110107/ap_on_re_us/us_maryland_packages

Parcel addressed to Napolitano ignites in DC

By JESSICA GRESKO and BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Gresko And Ben

Nuckols, Associated Press – Fri Jan 7, 6:59 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A package addressed to the U.S. Homeland Security secretary ignited

Friday at a postal facility, and authorities said it was similar to fiery

parcels sent to land officials a day earlier by someone complaining about

the state's terrorism tip line.

The suspicious package was discovered by an employee at the D.C. facility when

it began popping and smoking and emitted " a brief flash of fire " before

extinguishing itself, D.C. Police Chief Lanier said. The details were very

much like what land authorities described Thursday after workers at state

government buildings opened the small packages about the size of a book. There,

the workers' fingers were singed.

It's not clear what ignited the package at the D.C. facility because the worker

didn't open the package, Lanier said. No one was injured.

Authorities were bracing for more packages to surface.

" Right now we don't have any other packages, but we're not taking anything for

granted, " Lanier said.

The D.C. package was addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano,

according to a department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity

because of an ongoing investigation. The parcel ignited in northeast Washington

about 2:45 p.m. Authorities wouldn't say whether it contained a note.

In July, Napolitano launched a nationwide " see something, say something "

campaign. Her recorded voice can be heard in Washington-area Metro stations,

reminding commuters to report suspicious behavior.

The land packages had a message railing against highway signs urging

motorists to report suspicious activity by calling a toll-free number. The

message read: " Report suspicious activity! Total Bull----! You have created a

self fulfilling prophecy. "

The state's terrorism tip line is widely shown on overhead highway signs along

with information about missing children. To the ire of some drivers, the signs

added real-time traffic estimates to major highways in March. Some commuters

complained drivers slowed to read the signs and backed up traffic. At Gov.

O'Malley's request, the state studied the issue and removed the real-time

postings from one congested area on the Capital Beltway. There are some 113

signs statewide.

Washington Mayor Gray called the person who sent the packages

" incredibly irresponsible " and said sending them was a " cowardly, reprehensible

act. "

The earlier packages, addressed to O'Malley and to Transportation Secretary

Beverley Swaim-Staley, have been taken to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., for

forensic analysis, and Lanier said the D.C. package would also be sent there.

The packages did not contain explosive material. land State Fire Marshal

Barnard declined to speculate Friday on whether the incendiary devices

worked as intended.

They were opened within a 15-minute period Thursday at state government

buildings 20 miles apart. Mailroom employees around the state were back at work

Friday, and they had pictures of the packages and were advised to be vigilant

about anything suspicious.

The Postal Service rereleased a safety talk on how to recognize suspicious mail

Friday in light of these suspicious incidents, American Postal Workers Union

spokeswoman Sally ow said.

" An incident can take place at any facility, " she said.

Investigators had no previous indication the packages would be sent anywhere

other than land government buildings, FBI spokesman J. Wolf said.

While land State Police has been the lead investigative agency, the FBI

might now be forced to take a more active role, he said.

Police have not yet identified any suspects and were searching for disgruntled

people who've made threats against state government. Anyone arrested would be

charged with possession and use of an incendiary device, which includes a

maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, authorities said.

The state terrorism tip line averages about two calls per day, said Jim Newton,

privacy officer at the land Coordination and Analysis Center, where police

officers field the calls. Any valid information related to terrorism is sent to

the FBI.

Neither Newton nor police were aware of any repeat, angry callers to the tip

line. In a sign of their continued confidence in the tip line, police urged

people with information about the packages to call it.

The call volume typically doesn't spike when the phone number is displayed on

highway signs, he said. Instead, calls tend to come in after terrorism cases

make news in the U.S. or internationally, he said.

Speaking before the new package was found, land State Police Col. Terrence

Sheridan said Friday that authorities were expecting more packages to surface.

" We've got to make sure we go after this person and get them off the street and

get them behind bars, because these kinds of things are very, very dangerous, "

Sheridan said. " We just don't know where this person is going with this. We

don't know who it is. We don't know what they're thinking right now. "

___

Nuckols reported from Pikesville, Md. Associated Press writers Caldwell,

Eileen Sullivan, Randolph E. Schmid and Brett Zongker in Washington and

Brumfield in Baltimore contributed to this report.