Sen. Roger Wicker Received Letter Containing Ricin

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) was sent a letter that included a granular white substance that tested positive for the deadly toxin ricin.

On Tuesday, the Senate mail facility alerted the U.S. Capitol Police that there was an envelope that included a suspicious substance, according to a release. The letter was subsequently quarantined off-site until the Capitol Police hazardous material personnel could respond, according to Politico.

“Preliminary tests indicate the substance found was Ricin,” said the police statement released Tuesday evening. “The material is being forwarded to an accredited laboratory for further analysis.”

Precautionary action has already been taken to prevent any future incidents of mail being delivered that contains harmful material. The Capitol Police have teamed up with the FBI to wage an “ongoing investigation” into the incident. Furthermore, The U.S. Senate mail facility is closed, pending further testing of its contents, and incoming mail to the Capitol will be directed through a U.S. House facility.

Members of the Senate were briefed on the situation of the ricin filled envelope, and were informed that a suspect has been identified, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told Politico. Apparently, the suspect is someone who frequently writes to lawmakers, which lends to the possibility that more toxic envelopes could surface.

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