The prosecutor leading the case against former US President Donald Trump has received a death threat in an envelope laced with white power, US media reports indicated on Friday.
The letter, addressed to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, reportedly said “ALVIN: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The envelope also contained a small amount of white powder.
According to a Friday statement by the DA’s office, the letter “was immediately contained and that the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection determined there was no dangerous substance.”
The white powder was likely an imitation of a series of incidents in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which letters laced with anthrax spores were mailed to several public figures, including journalists and federal lawmakers. Five people were killed and 17 others injured in the attacks, which have spawned a series of copycats.
The news that Trump had, via his “fixer” lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep silent about an alleged sexual encounter between the pair years earlier. Until now, Cohen has taken the blame for the payment, claiming he spent his own money and acted on Trump’s behalf without his knowledge.
It’s not known if Bragg will file charges against Trump or what those charges might be. However, if handed down, officials are already preparing for the possibility of violence, having seen what Trump’s supporters were capable of doing in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.
As a result, the New York Police Department have already begun making security preparations and are reportedly coordinating their response with the New York State Court Officers, the US Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the DA's office.