Abortion clinics receive suspicious envelopes
About 110 abortion clinics across the United States have received envelopes in the mail with white powder inside.
Two of the envelopes have been tested by local health and law enforcement agencies. Neither envelope contained anthrax, officials determined.
The envelopes were postmarked from five different states and were not addressed to specific people, according to Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood.
About 90 of the envelopes were sent to Planned Parenthood facilities, Ms Feldt said. Twenty others were sent to independent abortion clinics, according to a statement by the National Abortion Federation.
"The envelopes were very professional and had law enforcement addresses on them," Ms Feldt said. "They had the words: 'time sensitive security information' printed on them."
The FBI and local law enforcement agencies are investigating who sent the envelopes.
Ms Feldt said most of the clinics have continued to operate.
"We have learned that when facing domestic terrorism, staying the course is the best revenge," she said.
Anthrax hoaxes have been relatively common in recent years at Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics.
In 1998, letters claiming to contain anthrax were sent to eight abortion clinics in four Midwestern states.
In 1999, at least 14 letters threatening anthrax were mailed to abortion centres across the nation. Those also turned out to be hoaxes.
