More suspicious packages may be tied to Seattle area man

SEATTLE – The FBI says they’ve found five more suspicious packages that they suspect may have been sent by a Seattle area man who was charged last week with the shipment of explosive materials.

Thanh Cong Phan, 43, of Everett, was charged in federal court in Seattle after multiple government agencies and military installations around the nation’s capital received packages containing black powder.

KOMO reports an FBI spokeswoman in Seattle said there have now been 18 similar packages received at various government facilities.

No packages have exploded but at least one item was confirmed through lab testing to have contained explosive powder.

Authorities say Phan sent it March 16 from a U.S. Postal Service kiosk in Mill Creek, north of Seattle.

Phan’s public defender couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.