Law enforcement officials intercepted a package earlier this week that was addressed to President Donald Trump and contained the poison ricin.
BREAKING NEWS:
A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Donald Trump was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, according to two law enforcement officials. @evanperez reportshttps://t.co/X4vi5mPdNk— CNN NationalSecurity (@NatSecCNN) September 19, 2020
The poison was detected during the screening process that all White House mail goes through at an offsite facility prior to delivery. Two tests were run to confirm the presence of ricin. (RELATED: ‘Do I Seem Rattled?’: Trump Walks Right Back Into Briefing After Shooting Disrupts Remarks)
WATCH:
Ricin is a toxic compound derived from the castor bean that causes intestinal distress and bleeding, then organ failure and eventually death. It has been previously used in terror plots because it is relatively stable and can be deployed in numerous forms: powder, acid, pellet or mist.
The U.S. Secret Service and the FBI have launched an investigation in an effort to track the source of the package.
Ricin was previously used in an attempt to mail poison to the president — and Pentagon officials — just before the 2018 midterm elections.