Report: Ricin suspected in envelope sent to Trump
An envelope addressed to US President Donald Trump contained a substance
suspected to be ricin, a law enforcement source told CNN on Tuesday.
According to the report, the envelope appeared to be connected to similar envelopes sent to the Pentagon.
A Secret Service spokesman told CNN that "the Secret Service can confirm
receipt of a suspicious envelope addressed to the President on Oct. 1,
2018."
"The envelope was not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House," the spokesman continued.
Two pieces of mail delivered to the Pentagon mail facility on Monday
have initially tested positive for ricin, a US defense official said.
A source familiar with the ongoing joint federal investigation said that
based on preliminary investigative activity, the White House and
Pentagon letters were believed to be connected and the substance in
question was a very crude castor bean concoction that authorities were
not technically calling "ricin" until further testing.
Ricin is a highly toxic compound extracted from castor beans that has
been used in terror plots. It can be used in powder, pellet, mist or
acid form. If ingested, it causes nausea, vomiting and internal bleeding
of the stomach and intestines, followed by failure of the liver, spleen
and kidneys, and death by collapse of the circulatory system.
The two suspicious envelopes sent to the Pentagon were addressed to
Secretary of Defense James Mattis and to chief of naval operations, Adm.
John Richardson, the official told CNN.
The mail facility is in a separate building on the grounds of the
Pentagon, and the two pieces of mail that tested positive never entered
the Pentagon building.
All US Postal Service mail received at the Pentagon mail screening
facility on Monday is currently under quarantine and poses no threat to
Pentagon personnel, said Pentagon spokesperson Col. Rob Manning.
"On Monday, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency detected a suspicious
substance during mail screening at the Pentagon's remote screening
facility. The envelopes were taken by the FBI this morning for further
analysis," Manning said in a statement.
The FBI issued a statement saying it has taken possession of two
suspicious envelopes screened at the Pentagon mail facility and they are
undergoing more testing.
The Secret Service spokesman said the agency was working with law
enforcement partners to investigate the envelopes addressed to Trump and
that all threats directed toward a Secret Service protectee "are
treated seriously and fully investigated."
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