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According to media reports, authorities arrested a suspect after sending an envelope containing highly toxic ricin to US President Donald Trump. She was captured on the border with Canada, several US media reported on Sunday. Consequently, the woman is said to have carried a weapon with her.
A spokesman for US Customs confirmed to the AFP news agency that there had been an arrest at the Peace Bridge crossing in Buffalo, New York state. He did not provide further details at first. The investigation was ongoing, only the spokesperson said.
According to information from the US media, the envelope with ricin was intercepted a few days ago and did not enter the White House. According to the New York Times, security authorities assumed that the dangerous shipment had been sent from Canada. Authorities are now trying to determine whether other similar letters could have been sent.
Mail sent to the White House is first sorted and examined in warehouses outside of Washington. The contents of the envelope in question had been searched several times in a warehouse, the CNN news channel reported. Letters containing ricin were sent to President Barack Obama and then to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013. Actress Shannon Guess Richardson was convicted of the crime the following year. Her poison letters were apparently related to the gun ban debate. The typewriter letter to Bloomberg read: “You will have to kill me and my family before you can get my guns.”
Ricin is considered one of the most powerful natural toxins. Like castor oil, it is obtained from the wonderful tree plant. Even a few seeds are fatal to humans. Symptoms after poisoning include internal bleeding and severe vomiting. Untreated death occurs from circulatory failure approximately 48 hours after poisoning. There is no known antidote.
