Subject in custody after sending suspicious letters to Trump, Pentagon



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FBI Intervention staff in charge of hazardous materials and hazardous materials searched the subject's residence outside Salt Lake City.

Dozens of law enforcement officials at the federal and local levels witnessed the scene and an FBI information officer in Utah confirmed that an operation was under way at the residence of Logan (Utah).

"As potentially dangerous chemicals are involved, we are asking the public to stay away from this location for the duration of the operation," said the officer. information. "No broader threat to public safety exists at the moment.As it's an outstanding case, it's all we can say for the moment."

CNN had previously reported that suspicious envelopes had been sent to Trump, Defense Secretary James Mattis and the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson.

A source familiar with the ongoing joint federal inquiry has stated that, based on a preliminary inquiry, the letters from the White House and the Pentagon would be linked and that the substance in question was a very coarse mixture of ricin that the authorities did not technically call "ricine". other tests.

Ricin is a highly toxic compound extracted from castor beans. It can be used in the form of powder, granules, fog or acid. In case of ingestion, it causes nausea, vomiting and internal bleeding from the stomach and intestines, followed by liver, spleen and kidney failure and death by a collapse of the circulatory system.

A person familiar with the investigation of the letters said that there was a handwriting on the envelopes. At least one of the letters contained a card with written: "Jack the missile bean" and "Powder of stock".

Dana White, Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement Wednesday that a preliminary analysis showed that the letters contained castor seeds.

"The FBI is still investigating," said White.

A previous case of Ricin in the Obama administration has resulted in a long sentence for a Texas woman. In 2014, Shannon Guess Richardson was sentenced to 18 years in prison for confessing to sending letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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