Deadly poison found in mail for US senator
Iran Press TV
Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:19AM GMT
US authorities have found and intercepted a letter containing a deadly poison identified as ricin intended to reach Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker.
The mail, postmarked from the City of Memphis in the US state of Tennessee, was intercepted in a mail handling facility and quarantined on Tuesday. The letter had no return address.
The FBI and United States Capitol police have launched a probe into the case.
The Senate sergeant at arms, Terrance Gainer, confirmed in a statement that the substance discovered in the letter had tested positive for the lethal poison, which is able to cause death usually within the first three days after exposure.
In another statement, police described the test as "preliminary" and said it "indicated" that ricin had been discovered in the letter.
“Senate employees should be vigilant in their mail handling processes for ALL mailings,” Gainer said in his statement.
Wicker also said in a Tuesday statement, "This matter is part of an ongoing investigation by the United States Capitol Police and FBI.”
“I want to thank our law enforcement officials for their hard work and diligence in keeping those of us who work in the Capitol complex safe," he added.
According to officials, mail to the Senate has been stopped and the off-site screening facility that is employed to review all mail sent to Congress is temporarily shut down since a search has been launched to find other possible letters containing poison.
"That's why we have the off-site screening facility for mail," said Claire McCaskill, a Democratic Senator from Missouri, adding, "And the tests came back positive. And they are shutting down the post offices temporarily to make sure they get everything squared away and we are notifying our state offices what to look for."
The incident came a day after twin bombings in the northeastern US city of Boston killed at least three people and injured over 130 others.
MR/HMV
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