Guinn said letters terrorism acts

Monday, Sept. 13, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn says 16 governors "were exposed to terrorism" by the potentially dangerous letters that were mailed from the state maximum security prison in Ely.

Guinn says he believes the letters, in which a match was implanted to light when the envelope was opened, was not meant to "hurt or harm" the governors.

"They were intended to bring fear and intimidation," Guinn told those attending 9/11 memorial ceremony Saturday. None of the governors were hurt by the letters.

The letter addressed to Guinn was intercepted by the Capitol Police, who monitor all the mail addressed to the governor. It passed through the metal detector used to scan the mail going to the governor's office because it did not contain any metal.

However, Sam Logan, deputy chief of the Capitol Police, saw the return address of the Ely State Prison and stopped it from being delivered.

"It's not rocket science," Logan said Saturday, noting the police had been alerted by FBI and prison officials about the letters. The letter was turned over to the FBI.

The FBI and prison officials have joined in the investigation. A prison spokesman said the probe has focused on one inmate but no details were released.

The letters were sent to at least 16 governors including Guinn and also to Jackie Crawford, director of the state Department of Corrections that oversees Nevada's prisons.

A letter rigged to ignite when opened and bound for Virginia's governor's office was intercepted today, Virginia officials said. The letter never threatened Gov. Mark R. Warner, said Bill Leighty, the governor's chief of staff. The letter, addressed to "executive chambers" in the state Capitol, was uncovered at a central postage-handling facility.

The letter to Crawford was opened by a secretary in the Carson City office and it ignited.

"It was a little surprising," said Assistant Director Glen Whorton, but no one was injured.

The governor's comments were made to about 250 people who gathered in front of the Capitol for a 9/11 memorial service.

Guinn said it was a "devastating day for the nation and Nevada" and it will be "etched in history as much as Pearl Harbor."

Nevada National Guard Adjutant General Giles Vanderhoof, who is head of homeland security in Nevada, said "Nevada is much safer than in 2001" but he added, "even though there will probably be another attack on our country."

"We're energized -- we've learned about our weaknesses -- we're better able to respond," said Vanderhoof.

He said a homeland security plan is being drafted, and it will be examined by state, local and federal officials who will give their comments. Some details will be "classified" and won't be released to the public because they "assess our vulnerable" sites and the safeguards that are being taken, said Vanderhoof.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.