Arrest after suspicious packages sent to Pentagon
US police on Wednesday arrested a suspect after suspicious packages containing castor seeds – from which deadly ricin can be derived – were sent to the Pentagon this week, US media reported.
William Clyde Allen, of Logan, Utah, was in custody and would likely face charges by Friday, KSL TV reported on its website, citing the Justice Department.
The Pentagon’s mail screening facility on Monday had intercepted at least two packages – addressed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Navy chief Admiral John Richardson – that authorities suspected to have contained ricin.
“According to our preliminary analysis, the substance was castor seeds, from which ricin is derived,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said, noting that the matter was being investigated by the FBI.
All mail at the Pentagon was briefly quarantined when the packages were uncovered. No one was hurt.
The US Secret Service had also reported that it obtained a “suspicious envelope” addressed to President Donald Trump on Monday.
“The envelope was not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House,” the Secret Service said.
Produced by processing castor beans, ricin is lethal in minute doses if swallowed, inhaled or injected. It is 6,000 times more potent than cyanide, with no known antidote. --AFP
