A package addressed to President Donald Trump containing the poison ricin was intercepted by federal authorities earlier this week, according to several reports on Saturday.
Both the AP and CNN say the letter was intercepted at an offsite government facility where White House mail is sorted and screened. The FBI, the Secret Service, and the US Postal Inspection Service have begun an investigation following two positive tests that confirmed the presence of ricin.
The FBI confirmed the investigation, saying in a statement, that “a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility” does not pose a “threat to public safety.” Federal investigators said that no suspects are in custody, but according to the Wall Street Journal, “The package appeared to have come from Canada.”
A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Trump was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, according to officials. https://t.co/KsUIM4GN0v pic.twitter.com/F1ycIsCvjR
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) September 19, 2020
Ricin, a poison that can be deadly and is derived from castor beans, was used in a previous plot against Trump. In 2018, a Navy veteran from Utah, William Clyde Allen, attempted to send the president and other government officials envelopes with ingredients of the poison. Allen was charged in a seven-count federal indictment and his case is still pending, according to the New York Times.
