Published 11:20 IST, September 22nd 2020
Ricin-laced letters sent to White House, five other US locations: Canada Police
Canadian police searched an apartment linked to the woman arrested on suspicion of sending ricin-laced letters to the White House and five other locations in US
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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on September 21 said that a team of Canadian police searched an apartment linked to the woman arrested on suspicion of sending ricin-laced letters to the White House and five other locations in Texas. RCMP's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) team led the operation in searching the house located in the Montreal suburb.
Our Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives team (CBRNE) is leading the operation. Police and Fire teams from Longueuil are also on site. All necessary measures have been taken to ensure public safety.
— Quebec RCMP (@rcmpqc) September 21, 2020
The Canadian police in a statement on Monday said they believe a total of six letters were sent, one to the White House and five others to Texas. The police further added that they can't confirm whether the woman lived in the apartment they were conducting searching in but said that it is definitely connected to her.
Police operation on Vauquelin blvd. in St-Hubert. The investigation is ongoing. #rcmp pic.twitter.com/U4FhK5pVom
— Quebec RCMP (@rcmpqc) September 21, 2020
The unnamed woman was arrested by the United States authorities near Buffalo at the US-Canada border on September 21. She will be produced before at a court in Buffalo at 4:00pm EDT on September 22.
Ricin-laced letters
This letter was caught at an offsite government facility that sorts and screens all mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump for safety reasons. Law enforcement agencies told US media that tests were conducted which confirmed that the suspicious package contained a poison called Ricin. The exact location of the letters sent to Texas is still unknown but media reports suggest that police department in Mission received a suspicious letter last week.
The FBI, US Secret Service, and US Postal Inspection Service are the investigative authorities in this case. Working in collaboration with their Canadian counterparts, they are investigating the possibility that the package may have been sent from Canada. The investigative agencies said that they have not found any evidence to link the woman to political or terrorist groups but they are looking into that angle.
11:20 IST, September 22nd 2020