WASHINGTON – Two or more packages delivered to the Pentagon this week weresuspected to contain the deadly poison ricin, an official said Tuesday.
Defense Department spokesman Chris Sherwood said at least two suspiciouspackages were intercepted at a nearby screening center on Monday.
“As part of the screening process, (authorities) recognized some suspiciouspackages,” Sherwood said, noting they were “suspected to be ricin.”
He stressed that authorities were still waiting for confirmation that thepackages contained ricin. Pentagon police referred the matter to the FBIfor investigation.
A defense official told AFP the packages were addressed to DefenseSecretary Jim Mattis and Navy head Admiral John Richardson.
“FBI Special Agents took possession of two suspicious envelopes that hadbeen screened at the Pentagon mail facility. Those envelopes are currentlyundergoing further testing,” the FBI said in a statement.
Read Top Stories
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said all mail received at thePentagon s screening facility Monday was “placed under quarantine and posesno threat to Pentagon personnel.”
Pentagon authorities showed reporters the secure area where mail isreceived.
Defense Department workers in white protective suits screen every piece ofpost that comes in, some 500,000 items per year, officials said.
Produced by processing castor beans, ricin is lethal in minute doses ifswallowed, inhaled or injected and 6,000 times more potent than cyanide,with no known antidote. – APP/AFP
