Officials have detected ricin, a deadly poison found in castor beans, in an envelope that was sent, apparently from Canada, to President Donald Trump.
The packet intercepted by the FBI carried a letter and a substance that tested positive for ricin.
The envelope “appeared to come from Canada,” and that law enforcement “is investigating possibly similar envelopes addressed to authorities in Texas.”
In 2014, a Mississippi man admitted to sending ricin-laced, threatening letters to then-President Barack Obama and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker as well as a county judge.
“Ricin is an incredibly dangerous biological toxin – just a few tiny grains can kill a human,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said in a 2019 case, in which a California man pleaded guilty to attempting to buy ricin.
There’s no antidote for ricin, which can kill a person within 36 to 72 hours of exposure.
No suspect had been identified as of early Sunday. No other details are known about similar packets sent to officials in Texas.
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