U.S. & World

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS) ― The FBI arrested a Sacramento man Wednesday suspected of sending letters labeled "anthrax" to over 100 media outlets, along with at least one congressman's office.

Marc M. Keyser, 66, was taken into custody without incident at his home on charges of sending a hoax letter, the FBI said in a release.

The agency said Keyser sent over 120 envelopes containing a CD that had a packet of sugar labeled "Anthrax Sample" with an orange biohazard symbol attached to it. The CD was entitled "Anthrax: Shock & Awe Terror."

So far the agency said none of the packets have tested positive for hazardous material.

At least some of the packages had Keyser's return address on them, said FBI agent Steve Dupre in Sacramento.

CBS station KOVR-TV in Sacramento received a similar package Tuesday, and other local media outlets, and The Sacramento Bee have also reported receiving suspicious packages Wednesday.

Keyser told KOVR Thursday that he sent the letters, and explained why he thought it was necessary.

When asked if he sent out the envelopes containing the packets, Keyser said he did, without regrets.

"I had to take a stand," said Keyser. "I'd do it again, absolutely."

Keyser worked for years in the political field with non-profit groups, which included advocating aids research, and protecting the redwoods. But his reason for sending out the packets was for a very different purpose.

"I reached a point where I felt morally compelled to take a stand," said Keyser.

When he was asked why he used sugar packets he replied, "I'd like to hold up a little sugar packet, showing how if this was anthrax, it would turn a city into absolute upheaval."

But he admitted that his goal wasn't fear. He said he wanted to send the packets to the media because he didn't think they were doing a good enough job. "Everybody is just watching the economy collapse," he said. "They're not watching the fact terrorists will attack us."

"I didn't mean to scare people," he said. "I wasn't sure how people would react, or even if they would react."

Packages were also sent to The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper and the office of Republican Congressman George Radanovich in Modesto.

Dupre said it's likely that more mailings will be received over the next few days and said recipients should contact their local FBI office.

The investigation began after The Atlantic Monthly magazine received a letter Monday, Dupre said. The Charlotte Observer newspaper in North Carolina received an envelope the following day.

The FBI has also confirmed that a package was received by a McDonald's restaurant in Sacramento.

Radanovich's office was evacuated early Wednesday after a staffer opened the mailing. Some employees went to a hospital for precautionary examinations and were released later with a clean bill of health.

Radanovich spokesman Spencer Pederson said the congressman was at a meeting in Fresno when the package was opened. Pederson said later Wednesday that the office has been cleaned as if the substance were anthrax.

One entrance to The San Diego Union-Tribune was closed for part of the afternoon after a large envelope labeled "anthrax" was opened in the newsroom.

Members of a hazardous materials team, all wearing full protective suits, went into the building to test the package. The Associated Press office in San Diego is in the building.

Anthrax mailed to congressional offices and others in 2001 killed five people and sickened 17.

Dupre said the arrest is not connected to another series of bogus mailings containing a white powdery substance that were sent to financial institutions and announced by the FBI last week.

Keyser is being held at Sacramento County Jail and is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday.

Marc Keyser has been an activist for AIDS and against terrorism, and has had several brushes with the law over the past two decades.

Keyser was investigated as recently as last year for mailing a small aerosol can labeled "anthrax" to the Sacramento News & Review, but later apologized, saying he just wanted to draw attention to the dangers of anthrax.

The FBI did not file charges in that case.

Keyser confessed to KOVR-TV in 1998 to sending out bogus $76 bills to 4,000 people that encouraged people to call the governor's campaign, Wells Fargo, and KFBK Radio. He said he wanted to get attention so then-Governor Pete Wilson would declare an AIDS state of emergency.

In 1991, KOVR-TV investigated Keyser and his organization, the AIDS Action League, for how they were spending money meant to help AIDS patients.

It's unclear if Keyser served jail time for the '91 and '98 incidents.

Keyser laughed when he talked about the police response to the more recent mailings, because his return address was on the envelopes.

"It took them so long, I didn't even think they were going to get here," he said.

Keyser says he plans to plead not guilty to criminal charges.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)