On Tuesday, a letter sent to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) tested positive for ricin poison. ABC News reports that a second letter sent to the U.S. Senate has tested positive. The addressee is unknown at this time. [Update: Reports now indicate the second letter was addressed to President Obama.]
Update:
Fox News producer Mike Levine reports that a letter similar to the one sent to Wicker was addressed to President Obama. Both were postmarked in Tennessee on April 8 and contain similar language and signatures.
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Chad Pergram of Fox News reports it is “unclear” if the letter sent to Obama tested positive for toxins.
Update:
Initial testing indicates the letter addressed to Obama contains ricin.
Officials appear to have a suspect.
But no arrest has been made.
Twitter users are asking if the second letter reportedly sent to the Senate is the same as the letter addressed to Obama.
The answer to that question is not clear at this time. Update: Reports now indicate the second letter was not meant for the Senate.
Law enforcement officials say a second suspicious letter that has been received in Washington was actually directed to the White House, not the Senate.
Meanwhile: Suspicious packages reportedly discovered in Senate buildings; evacuation underway.
There is “no indication of a connection” to the Boston Marathon bombing, according to the FBI.
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The letter will undergo further testing, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney.
http://twitter.com/MikeLevineFNC/statuses/324554400188215300
Sen. Carl Levin’s office in Saginaw, Michigan, received a suspicious letter as well.
He issued this statement:
Earlier today, a staffer at my Saginaw regional office received a suspicious-looking letter. The letter was not opened, and the staffer followed the proper protocols for the situation, including alerting the authorities, who are now investigating. We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat. I’m grateful for my staff’s quick response and for government personnel at all levels who are responding.
Twitchy will monitor this developing story and update as more details become available.
Editor’s note: The title of this post has been changed to reflect the latest developments in this story. The original title was “ABC: Second letter sent to US Senate tests positive for ricin.”
