Ricin-laced letter sent to Obama

Authorities intercepted a poison-laced letter intended for President Barack Obama on Wednesday and locked down some Senate office buildings, amid rising concerns of a terrorism-by-mail campaign reminiscent of the anthrax attacks that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 strikes.

The new threats emerged one day after a letter destined for Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi tested positive for the deadly substance ricin. Officials said there was no evidence of a link to the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Asked whether the Obama and Wicker incidents were connected, a law-enforcement source told Yahoo News that "the letters are very similar."

Obama was never in any real danger: Since the anthrax attacks, mail addressed to the White House goes through extensive off-site screening. The same goes for U.S. lawmakers. Ricin, for which there is no known antidote, is made from ground castor beans?and ground castor beans lacking the poison's potency can still trigger a positive test.

One day after the letter to Wicker was intercepted, "a second letter containing a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin was received at an offsite mail screening facility. The envelope, addressed to the president, was immediately quarantined by U.S. Secret Service personnel, and a coordinated investigation with the FBI was initiated," the FBI announced.

Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan also disclosed that a staffer in his Saginaw office had alterted authorities after receiving a "suspicious-looking letter."

And U.S. Capitol Police investigated a fresh potential threat to lawmakers: ?Suspicious items? that led them to clear three floors in two Senate office buildings, according to a spokeswoman.

?Currently, we?re investigating two separate issues,? Lt. Jessia Baboulis told Yahoo News. Capitol Police ?have asked that people remain off the first and third floors of the Hart office building, and the third floor of Russell,? another office building.

Asked whether there was any sign that those situations were linked to a letter addressed to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, which tested positive of the poison Ricin, Baboulis replied: ?None at this time.?

The White House worked to tamp down fears.

"Before we speculate, before we make connections that we don?t know exist, that the FBI has made a clear statement about, we need to get the facts," press secretary Jay Carney told reporters at his daily briefing in response to a question about whether the nation is "under attack."

Levin also appeared to play down the situation in his field office.

"Earlier today, a staffer at my Saginaw regional office received a suspicious-looking letter. The letter was not opened, and the staffer followed the proper protocols for the situation, including alerting the authorities, who are now investigating. We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat," he said in a statement. "I?m grateful for my staff?s quick response and for government personnel at all levels who are responding."

The suspicious letters and items on the Hill follow heightened tensions in the wake of Monday's deadly Boston Marathon bombings.

The letter sent to the president was never near the president or the White House. Following anthrax scares in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the White House moved all mail processing off-site. The screening facility that caught the president's letter Tuesday is "not located near the White House complex," U.S. Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary noted in a statement.

"On 4-16-13, a letter addressed to the President containing a suspicious substance was received at the remote White House mail screening facility. This facility routinely identifies letters or parcels that require secondary screening or scientific testing before delivery," Leary said.

"The Secret Service is working closely with the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI in this investigation," he said.

News of the intercepted letter to the president was reportedly announced to senators during a briefing Tuesday evening.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/letter-addressed-obama-contained-suspicious-substance-153931701--politics.html

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