This was a Mysterious Illness that caught everybodys attention. Highly lethal, and it started to spread, people died. This was on the heels of 9 11. It was chaos. We didnt know what was going to happen next. We knew it was intentional but we didnt know who was doing it. [theme music] welcome to how it really happened. Im jesse l. Martin. A suspicious letter arrives in the mail. Inside the envelope, a white powder. The fbi responds because today, thoughts immediately turned to terrorism. That fear was born out of an attack in september 2001. Just one week after the tragedy of 9 11, powderlaced letters began to make their way through the us postal system. The potential of murder by mail gripped the country with fear and launched one of the largest investigations in fbi history. This is how it really happened. [music playing] [people screaming] get out get out look out look out look out today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of delibera
If you can believe the truth that we share with you, and if you believe it enough that you can put your trust in me, and thats a big dose. Thats a difficult task to trust me. You dont know me well enough to trust me. I understand. Welcome to how it really happened. Im hill harper. In the 1970s, a mysterious religious group deeply shrouded in secrecy was slowly recruiting followers and gaining momentum. People disappeared from their everyday lives to join this movement, leaving behind more questions than answers. Hardly anyone knew anything about this group until March Of 1997 when news about them shocked the world and made history. We talked to the people who lived and breathed this incredible story to find out the truth and uncover the mystery of heavens gate and how it really happened. Alice when gail got to be 21, she decided that she wanted to see california, and so she packed up her bags, and they took off for california. She seemed like she was doing okay. She seemed happy. Alice
Thats being tested now down stairs so the mail room area is contained while we go through the various steps to test that. On a field test. Package it up safely for removal and decon that area and anybody that came in contact with it. Im going to take just keep in mind it happened a couple of hours ago and still ongoing and going to take some questions and not going too deep into it. Yes . Can you talk about how concerned you are the connection of these targets . People who have been criticized by the president well, take a look at whos being targeted here and thats why were doing it proactively. Reaching out to people in the city. People that do their security and making sure that the mail rooms follow proper protocol and of concern to us and reaching out to the right people. Yes . Hold on. Mayor or governor, earlier
this week, president assaulting a journalist. All sorts of threats to journalists. Do you have a particular message to President Trump in light of what happened at cnn or
News coverage here in New York City now. Craig melvin at msnbc headquarters. The nation on high alert, on high alert over a domestic tryst terrorist whos been waging war through the u. S. Mail all week. Pete williams just a few moments ago reporting that a person has been taken into custody at this point, a person were told perhaps in his 50s taken into custody in florida for questioning in connection with the mail bombs that have been sent to prominent americans all over this country over the past few days. Details as to this persons connection right now, those Details Remain unclear. This coming as two more explosive devices were discovered today, a total of 12 devices have now been sent, 12 explosive devices. Today one package found at a new york postal facility on the west side of manhattan. That one was addressed to former director of national
intelligence James Clapper. The other intercepted in florida. That one was addressed to new jersey democrat cory booker. All of these devic
Excessive tape, those are things to key in on. Every bomb maker, theyre just like bakers, they have their own special signature, how they crimp the wires, the tool marks, how they tape it up and type out the address. Thank you for your expertise. Were going to stand by, jim and i here. Were just about a block away from cnn, which is still closed because theyre looking at what that white powder could be. Well go back to the studio in d. C. I do want to reset what we know right now. Any moment now the president is expected to deliver a speech where hes likely to address these devices that have been sent to Public Officials and offices today. A pipe bomb appeared to be mailed to the Time Warner Center, which is where cnn is in new york. And there is white powder still
being tested in the mail room there. We have an image of a device addressed to former cia director john brenan. However, it was found there at Time Warner Center. Also targeted, former president obama, the clintons and forme