Thursday, April 18, 2013

AMERICA - Ricin Tainted Letters to President and U.S. Congress

"Letters Tainted with Poisonous Ricin Sent to President Obama and Congress" PBS Newshour 4/17/2013

Excerpt

HARI SREENIVASAN (Newshour):  In Washington and around the country, authorities chased reports of suspicious letters and packages today.  At the U.S. Capitol, police briefly evacuated parts of two Senate office buildings, but they offered little information.

OFFICER SHENNELL ANTROBUS, U.S. Capitol Police:  Capitol Police is responding to a suspicious envelope.  We're currently conducting an investigation.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  In all, there were three questionable packages, including one sent to Alabama Republican Richard Shelby.  And at the White House, the Secret Service intercepted a letter.

JAY CARNEY, White House Press Secretary:  There was a letter sent to, addressed to the president that at an off-site mail facility was noticed to have contained a suspicious substance, and tests were undergone -- undertaken.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  New accounts said the letter tested positive initially for ricin, a deadly poison.  So did a letter to Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker that surfaced yesterday at a Senate mail facility in Maryland.

But officials cautioned, initial tests are often wrong, and more conclusive testing was in progress.  The FBI did say both envelopes were postmarked from Memphis, Tenn. and contained a message that read -- quote -- "To see a wrong and not expose it is to become a silent partner to its continuance."  They were signed, "I am K.C. and I approve this message."

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