Washington: A woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin has been arrested at the New York-Canada border. The woman has been accused of sending the letter to the White House. It is being suspected that she has send similar poisoned envelopes to law enforcement agencies in Texas. The letter had been intercepted earlier this week before it reached the White House, officials said.
The woman was taken into custody at the Peace Bridge border crossing near Buffalo by police. She is expected to face federal charges, three law enforcement officials told this agency. Her name was not immediately released.
The letter addressed to the White House appeared to have originated in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have said. It was intercepted at a facility which screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump. Preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, according to the officials.
Envelopes containing ricin were also mailed to law enforcement agencies in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. The official did not say which agencies were sent the envelopes but said they are believed to have been mailed by the same person who sent one to the White House.
There have been several prior instances in which US officials have been targeted with ricin sent through the mail. A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt.
In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials.