Obama Receives Suspicious Letter Containing Ricin

The U.S. Secret Service has intercepted what they describe as a letter containing a “suspicious substance” to President Barack Obama.

Received on Tuesday, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the letter was stopped at an interception point away from the White House. Initial tests of the substance shows that it may as well be ricin. Ricin, a highly toxic substance, has the ability to kill an adult human with extremely small doses. The FBI and Secret Service are currently leading investigations into the incident.

This news the latest in a string of suspicious events. On Wednesday, the office of Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R) is getting searched by Capitol Police after a “suspicious package” was sent to the Hart Senate Office Building. People have been asked to evacuate the first floor of the building as a result. 

Disturbingly enough, these developments fall similar to that of the 2001 Anthrax Scare that also followed after the events of a tragedy — 9/11. In the case of 2001, new outlets in addition to government officials were exposed to anthrax and in the end lead to the death of five people. The FBI labeled it as the “worst biological attacks in U.S. history.”

The other confirmed suspicious substance so far out of the trio of news hails from Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). His suspicious letter was tested and said to contain ricin in it as well. Even so, the letter and ricin has been passed on for further examination. In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon explosions, not only is the entire country on edge but also government officials that appear to become scare tactic targets. Whether or not the explosions and the suspicious items are related or separate incidents is yet to be known. Still, the coincidental timing of all incidents can’t help but heighten reservations. 

According to a CNN breaking news update, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) has also received a possibly suspicious letter that is also undergoing investigation.