WASHINGTON — A letter intended for President Obama has tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, one day after a poison-laced envelope was sent to Sen. Roger Wicker.
The second letter was received at an offsite mail screening facility and was immediately quarantined by the Secret Service, the FBI said in a statement.
The FBI says the letters sent to Obama and Wicker are related and are both postmarked out of Memphis, Tenn., dated April 8.
In an intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press, the FBI says the letters both say: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance." Both letters are signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."
The letter is undergoing further testing because preliminary field tests can be unreliable, creating false positives.
The Secret Service said they are working closely with US Capitol Police and the FBI's investigation.
The FBI says there is no indication of a connection to the bombing at Monday's Boston Marathon.
Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Shelby's office told NBC that Capitol Police are investigating a suspicious package at his office in the Russell Senate office building. Michigan Sen. Carl Levin said he also received a suspicious letter at Saginaw regional office, but further details were unavailable.
Capitol Police confirmed today that they are investigating two suspicious items and are "controlling access" to parts of two Senate office buildings and the Capitol. It is unclear if they are related to the White House ricin scare.
Yesterday, an envelope containing ricin was sent to Wicker's officer — and authorities last night said they have identified a suspect in the case, although he did not appear to be in custody.
The letter was intercepted by an off-site mail-screening facility in DC yesterday afternoon and later was sent to a testing facility in Maryland.
Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer told senators that the letter had been postmarked in Memphis, Tenn., and carried no return address and no exterior markings making it suspicious.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) said a suspect has already been identified but didn’t address whether he had been arrested.
She said the letter was from someone known to frequently write lawmakers, but didn’t give the person’s name.
CNN, quoting a knowledgeable source, said no one was yet in custody.
“We need to be continuously aware and alert,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), adding that there was “no apparent link” between the letter and Monday’s bombing in Boston.
The substance has previously been used in assassinations. Just a tiny amount can be deadly. In 2003 and 2004, several letters laced with ricin were intercepted on their way to the White House and the Dirksen Senate Office building.
Law-enforcement sources told CNN the letter tested positive on an initial test, then tested positive two more times before getting sent to Maryland.
Mail destined for US Senate offices goes through rigorous screening. This protocol was instituted after multiple letters laced with anthrax were sent to the Capitol and media offices after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
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