Stamford Bomb Squad Called to Investigate Suspicious Package in Wilton

An oddly postmarked package mailed to AIG Financial Products from Baghdad, Iraq aroused suspicions last week, causing part of the business to be evacuated and the Stamford bomb squad to be called in.

The incident occurred on Thursday, March 17 when a security person at AIG's 50 Danbury Road location noticed a curious-looking cardboard envelope. The envelope reportedly was addressed to AIG in Westport, an address the company vacated eight years ago, and was postmarked out of Baghdad, Iraq.

"It wasn't addressed to anyone in particular but just AIG in general," said Wilton Police Lieutenant Don Wakeman. "[AIG's] security person removed the envelope from inside the building, placed it in the parking lot outside and then contacted us."

Wakeman said Wilton police responded quickly and evacuated part of the building near where the package was place outside. They cordoned off an area around the envelope and then brought in the Stamford bomb squad.

Though AIG in Wilton has never faced any threats from suspicious packages in the past, Wakeman said that due to some viable threats against financial companies abroad, emergency officials chose to use "the utmost caution."

The Stamford team x-rayed the package and determined there was nothing explosive inside. Ultimately, Wakeman said they chose to open the package and discovered that it held a legitimate check made out to AIG.

The area was cleared afterward and employees returned quickly to work without incident.