Authorities investigate letters to Daley in connection with cougar
As authorities investigate whether a series of letters threatening Mayor Richard Daley are connected to a fire near his vacation home, Daley described the letters Saturday as "very, very vicious."
Officials also are investigating a possible connection between the letters and the shooting of a wild cougar last month by Chicago police, according to a statement from the FBI.
"These letters appear to be written by the same group or individual and threaten physical harm to specific individuals and entities in connection to the recent shooting of a wild cougar in Chicago last month," the FBI said.
Daley's family cottage on Lake Michigan in Grand Beach, Mich., was not harmed by an April 24 fire set on nearby grassy dunes. But the $2 million-plus home of a neighbor was gutted, and the garage of another neighbor was destroyed.
The cause was initially thought to be an accidental brush fire. But Berrien County, Mich., Sheriff Paul Bailey said authorities launched an arson investigation once they learned about a threatening letter sent to Daley ahead of the blaze. It was declared an arson by Michigan authorities on Tuesday.
The fire came 10 days after Chicago police shot to death a 124-pound cougar roaming on the city's North Side. At the time, Daley defended the actions of Chicago police and derided suggestions that the cat should have been tranquilized.
"I didn't see a neighbor running out and grabbing it and saying, 'I love you, oh come in the house,' " Daley said.
Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said the investigation includes members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Both Chicago police and the FBI belong to that task force.
"We've taken every measure we can to make sure the mayor and his family remain safe," Weis said.
Daley made his first public remarks about the investigation during a public appearance Saturday.
He said he does worry about the safety of his family and said as much as he loves being mayor, "these things are difficult to deal with."
"You wonder how people can get (such) hatred," Daley said.