at 10 action news has learned that a
local religious leader was at the center
of today's anthrax scare Islamic leader
Joshua Evans opened a letter at his home
today and found a tissue stuffed inside
with white powder Hazmat crews even the
FBI were called in this all happened in
a home off Crownpoint Road in Mandarin
Action News chony Glover is live on the
action camp tonight and chony we learned
the powder was not a biological threat
but this religious leader he still wants
to know who's behind it who sent it
that's r's Joshua Evans says he got the
scare of his life when he came to his
mailbox there was an letter inside that
looked suspicious he says he opened it
up and inside was a napkin with white
powder inside he says some of that
powder got on his hands and he feared
for his
life someone does not wrap a tissue up
in a with with powder in it and stuff in
an envelope and send it to you with good
intentions and that's why Joshua Evans
says whoever sent a suspicious envelope
to his home had a message for him I'm a
very public figure for the religion of
Islam I travel all throughout this
country I've been probably every city in
this country major city and and all over
the world speaking on the religion of
Islam the history of Christianity now as
a disclaimer Evans is known nationally
as a controversial Islamic speaker he
even has his own website with videos of
him pointing out things in the Bible he
says aren't true beginning that Jesus
cannot be God and the reason why we are
going over this topic is because it's an
issue of Salvation because of the videos
that I do about the inconsistencies in
the Bible and because of the different
uh uh problems between Christianity or
in Christianity I do get a lot of flack
from from the Christian uh uh population
you know about what I do Evan spent most
of the day in the hospital taking blood
tests and x-rays he says he went to
check his mail and found a suspicious
letter with white powder inside Evans
thought it was Anthrax and called police
hasmat spent the day investigating and
testing the suspicious substance test
results showed the white powder was not
a biological threat tonight Evan told us
he's glad he and his family were
unharmed but he does feel he was
targeted odd to you know here in
Jacksonville Florida but at the same
time it just lets us know that we do
live in a world where we do have to you
know be on alert we do live in a world
where there are people who want to harm
other people you know for no other
reason than just because of simple
hatred now Evan says doctors did give
him medicine today to take for the next
few days we do know that suspicious
substance was taken to the health
department lab for more testing Evans
says in in the meantime he's working
with the FBI to investigate exactly what
this white substance is and who sent it
we're live in Mandarin tonight I'm chony
Glover Fox 30 action news and Evans was
taken to Memorial Hospital after opening
the letter with the powder inside the
hospital tells us when it sees patients
like this they take everyone's safety
seriously um employees will gown up to
um decontaminate um we have showers that
are set up outside or we have a shower
that's attached to the Ed itself and
that way we can wash down patients
outside um then treat them medically as
we bring them inside or treat them
outside based on what their presenting
condition is Memorial Hospital says its
staff is trained to treat any potential
exposure