The FBI is testing a white powdery substance found Wednesday evening in an envelope at a Wells Fargo operations center near Priest Drive and Alameda Drive in Tempe. The substance is feared to be anthrax.
According to Marjorie Rice, a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo, a mailroom employee received the envelope that contained the powder from an external source around 5 p.m. Wednesday. It was reported to the Tempe Police Department and the FBI who then evacuated and closed the building for several hours.
Although the building was reopened later in the evening, many of the hundreds of employees who work in the complex are still nervous.
“We are doing exactly what the FBI suggests in order to protect our team members,” Rice said.
Employees at the operations center said they were called by teams into meetings at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday where they were briefed on the incident.
The employees were told that they would be notified as soon as the test results returned Friday. Employees were also offered the option of wearing a mask and gloves at work in order to calm their fears.
Reach Jennifer Hays at jenericpez@aol.com.
