SOUTHEAST — The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is continuing its investigation today into a suspicious package that was delivered Friday evening to the Route 22 office of state Sen. Greg Ball, R-Carmel, forcing authorities to shut down the road for about three hours while the Westchester County Bomb Squad investigated.
Authorities finally determined that the package sent to 1441 Route 22 was not a threat and that it contained a book on the values of the Prophet Mohammed and other Islamic views. It also contained a letter to Ball voicing concerns over a recent legislative hearing he chaired in New York City.
Ball chairs the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, which convened last month in New York City to assess the region's preparedness for another terrorist attack. The gathering attracted criticism from some Democratic senators and community and religious groups. They faulted Ball for unfairly linking Islamic religious practices with America's security.
In April, a Georgia woman mailed a suspicious package to Ball's Albany office. It contained a stuffed Curious George monkey pinned with Stars of David and a vicious, anti-Semitic and a racially charged letter. The woman, Jameela Barnette, a radical Muslim blogger, said she sent the package because Ball uses "Muslims to further his career."
The most recent package arrived about 5:35 p.m. Friday at Ball's office in the same building as a Mahopac National Bank, across from Milltown Road. The package was delivered by what the Sheriff's Office described as a "reputable commercial delivery service" and consisted of a 12-by-16-inch envelope with a return address from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by way of Pakistan.
His office staff contacted police after becoming suspicious of the return address and because Ball was not expecting a delivery, police said.
Sgt. John Alfano and Deputy William Quick responded and isolated the package and evacuated the building. Sheriff's investigators arrived with the bomb squad, Brewster firefighters and state police. Police closed Route 22 and Milltown Road for about three hours, diverting traffic elsewhere.
Bomb dogs searched the building while bomb squad members using X-ray equipment determined the package was not a threat. It contained a book entitled, "Mannerisms of My Sire," about the values of Mohammad and other Islamic views. Its author is Ameer Hamza, a renowned Islamic scholar. It also contained the letter written to Ball.
Police said they are continuing the investigation and have notified the Joint Terrorist Task Force and New York State Intelligence Center .
A message left this morning for Ball was not immediately returned.
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