Arrest made in response to Ricin-laced letters

style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: 600;"Fri 19th Apr, 2013

Days after the White House mail-sorting facility intercepted a letter believed to be poisoned, an arrest has been made.

Both President Obama and a Republican Senator, Roger Wicker, received letters marked with a Memphis postmark and the statement "I am KC and I approve this message", and contaminated with the poison ricin at their mail-sorting facilities.

The suspect, Paul Kevin Curtis from Corinth, Mississippi, was believed to have been arrested from an early lead by the F.B.I., Corinth is a 50 mile distance from the hometown of the Senator. Curtis was arrested in the early evening in his home. There are suspicions of a third letter sent to a Mississippi official. Later in the week Democrat of Michigan Senator Carl Levin also reported to have received a letter, following which the proper security measures were taken to ensure a safe investigation.

The cases had many nerves on the line as it reverted thoughts back to the weeks leading up to 9/11 where anthrax-laced letters were mailed around to media as well as two Democratic senators, 17 people were sick and 5 killed as a result. Due to these letters, all mail going to the White House changed paths and went to an outside sorting facility. The quick action in regards to the arrest are hoped to relieve those on their toes since receiving the letters.

Though both letters were caught and no harm was done, precautions were taken to ensure that the matter could be fully evaluated. The white house was roped off with yellow caution tape in order to extend the security parameter and parts of Senate Office buildings were evacuated. Though many people looked for ways to link the letters to the recent bombings in Boston, press secretary Jay Carney calmed those rumors quickly, though he did not completely rule out the possibility.


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