Cops from the 84th Precinct swarmed through the offices of The Brooklyn Paper last week after this newspaper became one of 20 nationwide that received a letter suggesting a plot against investment giant, Goldman Sachs.
“Goldman Sachs. Hundreds will die. We are inside. You can’t stop us,” read the letter, which was written in red ink on lined looseleaf paper.
It was signed “A.Q.U.S.A.,” an apparent reference to al Qaeda.
The letter — addressed to the “News Department” of the Downtown News, one of our long-running editions — showed up at our DUMBO office on Friday, June 30. It was opened by Editor Gersh Kuntzman, who didn’t think much of the “threat,” but did ensure that he was the only staffer who touched what could be a vital piece of evidence in the nation’s war on terror.
“All I know about police work, I learned on ‘Law & Order,’ but I still knew the minute I opened it that there would be cops down here fingerprinting everyone who touched that letter,” Kuntzman said. “So I put it aside before anyone else came in contact with it.
“Basically, I took one for the team,” Kuntzman quipped.
Cops from the 84th Precinct did indeed fingerprint Kuntzman on Sunday — his day off — and slipped the letter into a plastic bag.
The missive was later turned over to the FBI, which is investigating why roughly 20 newspapers around the country, including the Star-Ledger of Newark, received the same letter, all of which were mailed from Queens and The Bronx.
The New York Post — which did not receive the letter — reported that federal law enforcement authorities don’t think the threat is serious because of its “non-specific nature.” But officially, FBI spokesman James Margolin said that “all threats are taken seriously.”
Investigators are looking at fingerprints on the letter and even the saliva on the envelope, which could yield DNA evidence.
“Thankfully, I didn’t put the envelope in my mouth,” Kuntzman said. “Learned that from ‘CSI: New York.’”
“It’s a ridiculous letter,” he said.
Goldman Sachs occupies a 44-story Jersey City tower that is the tallest building in the Garden State.
The company itself did not receive the letter.
