Since September 11 , 2001 , a number of high-profile incidents and security scares have occurred in Washington . In October 2001 , anthrax attacks , involving anthrax-contaminated mail sent to numerous members of Congress , infected 31 staff members , and killed two U.S. Postal Service employees who handled the contaminated mail at the Brentwood sorting facility . An FBI and DOJ investigation determined the likely culprit of the anthrax attacks to be Bruce Edwards Ivins , a scientist , but he committed suicide in July 2008 before formal charges were filed
anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
History of Washington, D.C.