Woman suspected of sending poisoned letter to White House arrested at US-Canada border

A suspect has been arrested by the US Customs and Border Protection officers for sending a letter containing a poison called Ricin addressed to the White House. The suspect may face federal charges for an attempt to poison US President Donald Trump. Law enforcement officials, on the condition of anonymity, told Associated Press that suspect is a woman but her name was not released. She was taken into custody at the Peace Bridge Border crossing near Buffalo on Sunday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that the letter containing Ricin addressed to the White House appears to have been originated in Canada. 

President Donald Trump receives poison in mail

Earlier this week an envelope containing a poisonous substance called Ricin was intercepted by the law enforcement officials. 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. 

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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, reported CNN. A US law enforcement official informed that similar packages were being investigated which were mailed to addresses in Texas and might be linked to the same sender from Canada.

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US officials have been a target of Ricin poisoning attack via mail on several occasions previously. In 2018, a Navy veteran was arrested for sending envelopes containing substance from which Ricin is derived to US President Donald Trump and other members of his administration. While no one was hurt as the letters were intercepted, the veteran confessed to his crimes. In 2014, a similar case occurred when a man sent letters dusted with Ricin to the then US President, Barack Obama and other officials. The man was from Mississippi and was caught and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his crime. 

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(With inputs from AP news)