us Ricin laced letters to Senator & President

[presence06]

Washington (CNN) -- An envelope that tested positive for the deadly poison ricin was intercepted Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Capitol's off-site mail facility in Washington, congressional and law enforcement sources tell CNN.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was told the letter was addressed to the office of Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. A laboratory in Maryland confirmed the presence of ricin after initial field tests indicated the poison was present, according to Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer.

However, the FBI said additional testing is needed as field and preliminary tests produce inconsistent results.

"Only a full analysis performed at an accredited laboratory can determine the presence of a biological agent such as ricin," according to the bureau. "Those tests are in the process of being conducted and generally take from 24 to 48 hours."

In a statement late Tuesday, the U.S. Capitol Police said more tests would be conducted at the Army's biomedical research laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

The letter had a Memphis, Tennessee, postmark and no return address, Gainer wrote in an e-mail to senators and aides.

Sen. Claire McCaskill told reporters after a briefing for lawmakers that a suspect has already been identified in the incident, but a knowledgeable source said no one was in custody Tuesday night.

http://www.cnn.com/2...pted/index.html

Apparently Obama had one addressed to him that was laced:

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. Secret Service has intercepted a letter addressed to PresidentBarack Obama that contained a "suspicious substance."

A law enforcement official said the letter is very similar to one recently mailed to Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker. That letter tested positive Tuesday for poisonous ricin.

The official requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

http://news.yahoo.co...--politics.html

Sounds like post 9/11 anthrax.

Edited April 17, 2013 by SHoTTa35
Editing topic and tagged

[Roger H. Veteran]

Crazy stuff going on these days.

[DocM]

Michigan Senator Carl Levin's office in Saginaw, MI has also received one

http://www.freep.com/article/20130417/NEWS15/304170116/Suspicious-letter-closes-Sen-Carl-Levin-s-Saginaw-office

Levin is Chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Anybody with a shred of intelligence knows that political mail goes through strict security procedures - tests for explosives, chemical weapons, drugs, etc. It was never going to reach its intended targets.

[DocM]

It doen't have to in order to have its desired effect: disruption. The object of terrorism is to terrorize those not directly attacked.

That's what happened after the post-9/11 anthrax letters hit the mails. Post offices had to examine all kinds of shipments, all mails to leaders had to be carefully checked, etc.

[compl3x]

Anybody with a shred of intelligence knows that political mail goes through strict security procedures - tests for explosives, chemical weapons, drugs, etc. It was never going to reach its intended targets.

It reaching its target mightn't be the point. Just the fact they're finding mail laced with this stuff sends a message.

Plus, no screening system is foolproof.

[Growled Member]

It reaching its target mightn't be the point. Just the fact they're finding mail laced with this stuff sends a message.

Exactly. And another point is the potential to leave behind a deadly trail of ricin as it goes from post office to post office.

[COKid]

Well, the Feds made an arrest late today, so hopefully they have the person responsible.

Paul Kevin Curtis of Tupelo, Miss.

[Growled Member]

That would explain the Miss. Senator getting one of those letters.