A letter addressed to President Barack Obama containing a “granular substance” preliminarily tested for the deadly poison ricin, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Wednesday.
The letter, which was intercepted at an off-site mail facility, was immediately quarantined and the FBI is conducting further lab testing because initial field tests for ricin can produce inconsistent results. Those tests generally take 24 to 48 hours. There is “no indication of a connection” to the deadly attacks upon the Boston marathon on Monday, the agency said.
A separate letter addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) was intercepted that also field tested positive for ricin on Tuesday, and officials are also conducting further testing in Quantico, Va.
