WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has been forwarded a letter with a “suspicious substance”, the US Secret Service said on Wednesday.
It arrived the same day as an envelope addressed to US Senator Roger Wicker, which tested positive for ricin. The envelope was postmarked Memphis, Tennessee and did not have a return address.
US Capitol Police say they’re responding to a suspicious package in the Hart Senate Office Building. Authorities are evacuating the premises.
Officials say the letter has initially tested positive for ricin – a highly toxic oil made from castor beans.
“A letter addressed to the president was received at a remote screening facility containing a suspicious substance. We are working closely with Capitol Police and the FBI in this investigation,” a Secret Service spokesman said in a statement.
The letter, which was received at an off-site location away from the White House on Tuesday, is currently under investigation after being intercepted at an off-site postal screening center.
“This facility routinely identifies letters or parcels that require secondary screening or scientific testing before delivery,” White House spokesman Edwin Donovan said in a statement.
