Federal authorities intercept package addressed to Trump containing ricin
If ingested, ricin causes vomiting, nausea and internal bleeding of the stomach and intestines
On Saturday, a package addressed to President Donald Trump tested positive for the poison ricin.
The package was intercepted by federal authorities before it could reach the president, a law enforcement official said.
All White House mail is sorted and screened at an offsite facility before it reaches the White House, and according to CNN, two tests that confirmed the presence of the highly toxic compound were conducted at that facility.
Read More: Texas woman arrested in ricin letters to Obama, Bloomberg
Ricin, which is extracted from castor beans, has turned up in other terror plots targeting President Trump and other officials. The poison can be used in powder, pellet, mist or acid form.
If ingested, ricin causes vomiting, nausea and internal bleeding of the stomach and intestines. According to the Centers for Disease Control, exposure to ricin through inhalation, ingestion or injection can lead to death after the failure of internal organs and the collapse of the circulatory system.
“The FBI and our U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility. At this time there is no known threat to public safety,” the FBI’s Washington field office said in a statement.
Read More: Maxine Waters and staff safe after suspicious package marked ‘anthrax’ found at her LA office
In 2018, a Utah man threatened Trump and other administration officials in letters that contained the natural ingredients used to make ricin, and a federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment against the man.
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