Gaithersburg Police: Suspicious Letter Came From Fake Canadian Business

A letter sent to a Diamond Elementary School faculty member contained an unknown substance and came from a fake Canadian business, a Gaithersburg police spokesman said Tuesday afternoon.

which Montgomery County Public Schools officials said posed no threat to students or staff.

"The letter came from—it said on the receiving end—from a business out of Canada," Gaithersburg police Officer Dan Lane said. "When we looked up the business, the business didn't exist. So right now we don't know where it came from.

"Where it came from is a fake address."

Diamond Elementary instituted a "shelter in place" procedure and Marquis Drive was closed for a short time while police investigated the package.

Lane said the unknown substance was not a hazardous materials concern and has been sent to a lab for testing. Officials also checked the classroom where the letter was received and found nothing of note, Lane said.

Police will have the results of the substance testing at a later date, he said.

In light of recent incidents, police have seen community members paying more attention to their surroundings, Lane said.

"After [the Boston Marathon bombings] and other incidents around the county— and obviously [Tuesday's] incident down at Discovery Center—people are more aware now and more vigilant as to what's going on."

Related Coverage:

• Police Investigate Suspicious Package At Diamond Elementary (April 30, 2013)