'Open please, anthrax inside' | Woman reports strange thank you card received in mail
Ryan Sprouse
When a Virginia woman opened her mailbox Tuesday, she had a strange surprise.
Officers from the Manassas City Police Department responded to a suspicious incident in the 9300 block of Prescott Avenue around 1:30 p.m. A woman reported finding an envelope in her mailbox with the words "Open please anthrax inside" written on the outside.
In the course of their investigation, police determined that the envelope was not a credible threat. In fact, it contained a thank you note instead.
According to the CDC, anthrax is a rare but serious disease caused by "rod-shaped bacteria," and it has been used intentionally as an act of aggression since the early 1900s. However, after the September 11 attacks, letters filled with a white powder containing anthrax spores were sent to several politicians' offices and media outlets on the East Coast, infecting more than 20 people who handled the letters or breathed in anthrax, and killing five.