Powdery substance delivered to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's home not dangerous

[May 26, 2021]    (Reuters) - A suspicious package delivered to the home of U.S. Senator Rand Paul on Monday and reported to law enforcement had a powdery substance, which was found to not be dangerous in preliminary analysis, authorities said.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) arrives to question former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, who is President Joe Biden's choice to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development, at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, DC, U.S., March 23, 2021. Greg Nash/Pool via REUTERS

"The person who found the letter called the local sheriff's office. The USCP (United States Capitol Police) and FBI were also notified. An initial test determined the substance is not dangerous", the Capitol Police said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

The police said that the substance was taken to a lab for further testing.

"I take these threats immensely seriously. As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family", Paul said in a tweet on Monday.

Axios cited a representative of the senator saying the large envelope also had an image containing a death threat.

"The package was removed and transported to the Bowling Green Fire Department for analysis. The preliminary analysis identified the substance as non-toxic", Warren County Sheriff's Office said in a separate statement.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Michael Perry)

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