US male arrested in connection to suspicious packages

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Authorities took a man into custody Tuesday in relation to a series of mysterious packages that were sent to various government facilities across Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

The FBI identified the suspect as Thanh Cong Phan, 43, of the Seattle, Washington area. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court later Tuesday in Washington state.

The packages the FBI collected and will analyze at its Quantico, Virginia laboratories were sent to Fort Belvoir, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, the CIA, Fort McNair and Joint Base Anacostia. They were received Monday.

"The FBI investigation determined that the packages contained potential destructive devices and appeared to be sent by the same individual," the bureau said in a statement.

Phan was taken into custody at his home in Everett, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Seattle, on Monday.

Additional packages may have been mailed to the Washington, D.C.-metro area prior to Phan's arrest, the FBI warned.

A motive has not yet been reported, but the Seattle Times reported Phan was taken into custody and charged with unlawfully possessing a handgun in 2011 after authorities were sent to his residence on a mental health call.