Parcels sent to Pentagon suspected to contain ricin

Two or more packages delivered to the Pentagon this week are suspected to contain the deadly poison ricin, an official says.

Defense Department spokesman Chris Sherwood says at least two suspicious packages, addressed to someone in the Pentagon, were intercepted at a nearby screening center on Monday.

“As part of the screening process, [authorities] recognized some suspicious packages,” Sherwood says, noting they were “suspected to be ricin.”

He stresses that authorities were still waiting for confirmation that the packages contained ricin. Pentagon police referred the matter to the FBI for investigation.

“FBI Special Agents took possession of two suspicious envelopes that had been screened at the Pentagon mail facility. Those envelopes are currently undergoing further testing,” the FBI says in a statement.

— AFP

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