Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Hillary Clinton campaign HQ evacuated after 'white substance' found

Two interns made the discovery

Rachael Revesz
New York
Saturday 22 October 2016 07:35 BST
Comments
Ms Clinton's campaign headquarters in New York were evacuated
Ms Clinton's campaign headquarters in New York were evacuated (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters in Brooklyn have been given the all-clear after a white substance delivered through the mail was found to be not hazardous, said authorities.

The substance was first discovered by two interns at a campaign office in Manhattan at around 5pm local time and was transported to Brooklyn Heights, triggering the evacuation of the 11th floor, a New York Police Department spokesman said.

A total of four people were exposed to the substance, police said, though there have been no injuries or reported illnesses.

Police are testing the substance and investigating the identity of the sender.

Ms Clinton was not in New York at the time of the evacuation.

The former Secretary of State was at a community college in Cleveland, Ohio, as part of a campaign tour.

The news comes after a local GOP office in North Carolina was firebombed last weekend. No one was in the building at the time.

"Suspicious" white powder was also sent via mail to the Manhattan home of Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, earlier this year.

New polls show Ms Clinton is closing in on Donald Trump in the key battleground state — meaning her campaign has glimpsed the possibility of sweeping to victory across all the traditional swing states.

The evacuation of her office comes after she claimed her rival was a threat to American democracy for not vowing to honour the results of the upcoming Presidential election.

Ms Clinton said she had visited countries whose leaders jailed their political opponents and refused to accept the results of elections they did not win.

“We know in our country the difference between leadership and dictatorship,” she said.

If Mr Trump refused to concede defeat, it would enormously complicate Ms Clinton's crucial early weeks in office.

The property tyccoon plans to lay out his closing arguments for support with a speech Saturday in Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, where he will be focussing on the priorities for the first 100 days of his presidency. Clinton has two events of her own in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in