SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – White powder in a threatening letter to Gov. Bill Richardson was not anthrax, according to tests a day after the substance forced the state Capitol to evacuate.

“Anthrax is not involved; no other harmful agents are involved,” said Peter Olson, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said Saturday.

The letter was opened Friday afternoon by the director of mail operations for the governor’s office. Authorities evacuated the office and other parts of the building as a precaution.

Tests ruled out anthrax, but further tests were planned over the weekend to try to identify the powder. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Service were investigating the source.

“It’s most likely a hoax, but we’re taking every necessary precaution,” Richardson said.

Anthrax hoaxes have persisted since the still-unsolved mailings of anthrax-tainted letters in October 2001 that killed five people and sickened 17 others.

In the past week, hospital emergency rooms were locked down in Iowa and New York after people reported contact with white powder in the mail. Officials said there was no indication anthrax was involved in those cases.

Last September, an envelope intended for Richardson was rigged to ignite when opened. That letter, which wasn’t opened, was similar to ones received by 19 other governors about the same time.

“You’ve got to know that it’s the territory for a governor, a public official,” Richardson said.

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