Suspect accused of sending poison ricin letter to Trump arrested

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested an unidentified woman who tried to enter the US from Canada at a New York state border, carrying a gun.
• On Saturday, a letter addressed to President Trump containing the poison ricin was intercepted by screeners this week before it reached the White House, according to the FBI.
• Officials, who believed the letter had been mailed from Canada, were looking for a female Canadian suspect when they arrested the woman at the border.

An unidentified woman suspected of sending a letter containing the poison ricin, which was addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump, has been arrested Sunday at the New York-Canada border, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

Earlier this week, the letter had been intercepted by screeners before it reached the White House.

According to the officials, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the female suspect at the Peace Bridge border crossing near Buffalo.

The woman’s identity was not immediately released but she is expected to face federal charges.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the letter appeared to have originated in Canada. It was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump. Officials said a preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a deadly poison that can kill even in small amounts.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

There have been several prior instances in which U.S. officials have been targeted with ricin sent through the mail.

In 2018, a Navy veteran was arrested 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 harmed.

A Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2014 after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials.

Source: Associated Press