Suspicious letter for Obama surfaces, after one for senator tests for ricin
The interception of the letters appears to demonstrate the effectiveness of security protocols put into place after the anthrax attacks in 2001. The letter that already tested positive for ricin is undergoing further analysis.
A US Capitol Police hazmat vehicle is parked at a mail processing facility for congressional mail in Prince George's County, Md., where a letter addressed to Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker tested positive for ricin Tuesday.
Molly Riley/AP
After a letter addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker (R) of Mississippi tested positive for the poison ricin, reports came out Wednesday about a second, similar letter – addressed to President Obama.
Skip to next paragraph
Correspondent
Allison Terry works on national news desk for the Christian Science Monitor. She also contributes to the culture section and Global News blog.
Recent posts
-
04.30.13
Top general: 5 bad habits for the Pentagon to fix -
04.30.13
Did Boston bombers have help? Investigators checking female DNA evidence. -
04.29.13
Obama adds cabinet diversity by picking Anthony Foxx for Transportation -
04.29.13
In a first, black voter turnout surpassed white turnout in 2012 -
04.28.13
Bomb suspect Instagram account offers intriguing insights (+video)
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
That letter, intercepted at a mail facility away from the White House, appeared to be from the same sender, NBC News reported, citing unnamed officials.
Before news came out about the second letter, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) of Missouri told The Associated Press that the police have one suspect in mind. A person who “writes a lot of letters to members” of Congress is a suspect in the investigation, she said after emerging from a classified briefing.
RECOMMENDED: So you think you know Congress? Take our quiz.
US Capitol Police (USCP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation would not comment on a potential suspect.
The letter addressed to Senator Wicker was intercepted at a Senate mail facility in Prince George’s County, Md., outside Washington. Police were notified that the mail center received “an envelope containing a white granular substance,” said Capitol Police spokesman Shennell S. Antrobus.
“The envelope was immediately quarantined by the facility's personnel, and USCP hazmat responded to the scene,” Mr. Antrobus said. “Preliminary tests indicate the substance found was ricin. The material is being forwarded to an accredited laboratory for further analysis.”
The interception of the letters appears to demonstrate the effectiveness of mail security protocols put into place after the anthrax mail attacks in 2001. During those attacks, five Americans died and 17 others became ill. Two Senate office buildings were closed after anthrax-laced letters reached the offices of then-Sen. Tom Daschle (D) of South Dakota, who was serving as majority leader, and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont. An investigation of the attacks concluded that Dr. Bruce Ivins, a government scientist who committed suicide in 2008, planned and executed the attacks alone.
Since then, officials have implemented major changes in how mail is handled for elected officials. Off-site facilities now handle mail addressed to members of Congress, as well as the president, and these facilities follow various screening and inspection procedures.
Become part of the Monitor community