Ricin Found in Mail Sent to Pentagon Officials

Pentagon officials said they discovered two packages suspected of containing the poison ricin, according to officials on Oct. 2.

The packages set off alarms as they were being screened in an off-site security mail processing center.

“On Monday, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency detected a suspicious substance during mail screening at the Pentagon’s remote screening facility,“ Col. Rob Manning said in a statement. ”The envelopes were taken by the FBI this morning for further analysis. All USPS mail received at the Pentagon mail screening facility yesterday is currently under quarantine and poses no threat to Pentagon personnel.”

The packages were sent to U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and the Navy’s top officer, Admiral John Richardson, Fox News reported, citing a Pentagon spokesperson. CNN also reported that the packages were sent to the same two officials.

The FBI issued a statement that it took possession of the envelopes, and they are undergoing further testing.

“On Tuesday, October, 2, 2018, in coordination with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, FBI Special Agents took possession of two suspicious envelopes that had been screened at the Pentagon mail facility. Those envelopes are currently undergoing further testing. As this is ongoing, we will have no further comment,” the FBI said, according to CNN.

Ricin is a poison that is made from castor beans. In April 2013, an envelope that contained ricin was sent to Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker, according to reports at the time. Days later, an envelope with ricin was sent to President Barack Obama. A third letter was also mailed to Lee County Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland in Mississippi.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ricin “can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.”

It adds that when “made into a partially purified material or refined into a terrorist or warfare agent, ricin could be used to expose people through the air, food, or water.”