Ricin was intercepted before it reached the White House mail room
Credit: Michael Reynolds/Shutterstock
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the posting of a package containing ricin to Donald Trump, according to reports in the US.
The envelope was intercepted at an offsite processing facility which is used to screen mail before it is sent on to the White House.
According to the New York Times the package was posted from Canada. The paper said the suspect was a woman.
Letters with ricin were also sent to law enforcement agencies in Texas.
In a statement the FBI said: “The FBI and our US Secret Service and US Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility.
US Defence staff screen mail at a a facility near the Pentagon in Washington DC
Credit: Thomas Watkins/AFP
“At this time, there is no known threat to public safety.”
Ricin, a lethal substance derived from castor beans, can be fatal if inhaled or injected even in minute quantities.
The substance has been used in attempted attacks on prominent figures in the past.
In 2013 a Mississippi man sent letters with ricin to Barack Obama and a Republican senator. They were intercepted at a sorting facility.
In the following year, actress Shannon Richardson was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for sending ricin-laced letters to a number of prominent people including Mr Obama and New York mayor Mike Bloomberg.
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