[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – US authorities intercepted an envelope addressed to US President Donald Trump that contained a substance identified as the poison ricin, US media reported Saturday.
The letter was discovered earlier this week and did not reach the White House, according to the New York Times and CNN.
The Times said the letter was believed to have been sent from Canada.
LEE: Trump promises to nominate Ginsburg’s successor ‘very soon’
Mail addressed to the White House is first inspected and sorted in warehouses outside of Washington.
CNN said the contents of the envelope were repeatedly tested in a reservoir and confirmed to contain ricin.
“The FBI and our partners in the US Secret Service and the US Postal Inspection Service are investigating a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility,” the field office said. from the FBI in Washington in a statement.
“At this time, there is no known threat to public safety.”
READ: Advisor Kellyanne Conway will leave the White House at the end of August
Authorities contacted by AFP declined to discuss additional details of the incident.
Ricin, which is produced by processing castor beans, is lethal even in minute doses if swallowed, inhaled, or injected, causing organ failure.
It has no known antidote.
