A white powder found inside the White House on Sunday night, which led to the temporary closure of part of the presidential complex, was identified by the Washington fire department as cocaine.
The Secret Service confirmed to Reuters that an “unknown item” was found that led to the closure of part of the White House, but referred further questions to the fire department, which declined to comment.
The initial information is from the Washington Post.
“On Sunday night, the White House compound was closed as a precaution while officers from the Uniform Division of the Secret Service investigated an unknown item found inside a work area,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in an emailed statement. .
The item was discovered in the West Wing, the spokesman said, an area attached to the executive mansion where the president lives and includes the Oval Office, cabinet room and press area, as well as offices and workspace for aides and staff. of the president.
US President Joe Biden was not in the White House at the time. Hundreds of people regularly work or pass through the West Wing of the White House.
“The Fire Department of [Washington] DC was called in to assess and quickly determined the item was not dangerous,” the Secret Service added. There is “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the substance entered the White House, the spokesperson said.
The Washington Post reported that “a firefighter on the DC department’s hazardous materials team radioed the results of a test” on the item, citing an online database of emergency communications. The radio dispatch said, “We have a yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride.”
Two “officials familiar with the matter” confirmed to the Washington Post that the substance found in the White House was cocaine.
Source: CNN Brasil
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