The US Secret Service has confirmed that a “suspicious” envelope was sent to the White House and addressed to President Donald Trump, following reports of two letters testing positive for ricin being intercepted at the Pentagon.
“The envelope was not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House,” the Secret Service said on Tuesday afternoon. They offered no further details, adding only that they were "working jointly with our law enforcement partners to fully investigate this matter."
Citing a law enforcement source, CNN reported that the letter contained a suspicious substance believed to be ricin, the same toxin detected on Monday in two pieces of mail sent to the Pentagon and addressed to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson. However, that report remains unconfirmed.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed that the mail was intercepted on Monday when it tested positive for ricin. The mail facility was quarantined and the FBI invited to investigate.
READ MORE: Parcels sent to Pentagon test positive for ricin - officials
Ricin is a highly toxic substance extracted from castor beans, and has figured prominently as a bioweapon in a number of foiled terrorist plots.
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