Envelope with Deadly Poison Ricin Addressed to White House Intercepted

An envelope addressed to the White House and intercepted by US authorities contained a substance identified as ricin. (AFP)
An envelope addressed to the White House and intercepted by US authorities contained a substance identified as ricin. (AFP)
TT
20

Envelope with Deadly Poison Ricin Addressed to White House Intercepted

An envelope addressed to the White House and intercepted by US authorities contained a substance identified as ricin. (AFP)
An envelope addressed to the White House and intercepted by US authorities contained a substance identified as ricin. (AFP)

An envelope addressed to the White House and intercepted by US authorities contained a substance identified as ricin, a deadly poison that appeared to have been sent from Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Saturday.

An RCMP spokesman confirmed “it has received a request for assistance from the FBI in connection with a suspicious letter sent to the White House.”

The RCMP added “the FBI conducted an analysis on the substance found in the envelope. This report indicated the presence of ricin, a toxic substance.” RCMP said it working with the FBI but declined to discuss further details.

The envelope was intercepted at a government mail center before it arrived at the White House.

Asked about the reports, the FBI said the agency and “US Secret Service and US Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a US government mail facility. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety.”

The White House and US Secret Service declined to comment.

Ricin is found naturally in castor beans but it takes a deliberate act to convert it into a biological weapon. Ricin can cause death within 36 to 72 hours from exposure to an amount as small as a pinhead. No known antidote exists.

There have been numerous incidents involving envelopes mailed with ricin to US officials.

In 2018, a Utah man, William Clyde Allen III, was indicted for making ricin-related threats, including mailing a threat against Trump and other federal officials including FBI Director Christopher Wray, with all the letters “containing castor bean material.” Allen remains in custody.

Two people were convicted in separate incidents of sending ricin-tainted letters to then-President Barack Obama.

In May 2014, a Mississippi man, James Everett Dutschke, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to sending letters with the deadly substance to Obama, as well as a US senator and a state judge.

In July 2014, a Texas actor was sentenced to 18 years for mailing letters containing ricin to Obama and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.



Azerbaijan Says Energy Cooperation with Ukraine Won't be Derailed by Russian Strikes

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speaks during a signing event with US President Donald Trump and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), at the White House, in Washington, D.C., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speaks during a signing event with US President Donald Trump and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), at the White House, in Washington, D.C., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
TT
20

Azerbaijan Says Energy Cooperation with Ukraine Won't be Derailed by Russian Strikes

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speaks during a signing event with US President Donald Trump and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), at the White House, in Washington, D.C., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev speaks during a signing event with US President Donald Trump and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), at the White House, in Washington, D.C., August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Azerbaijan's president on Sunday condemned Russian air strikes on Azerbaijani oil and gas facilities in Ukraine but said energy cooperation between the two countries would continue.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy by phone.

"During the conversation, both sides condemned the deliberate airstrikes by Russia on an oil storage facility owned by Azerbaijan's SOCAR in Ukraine, as well as other Azerbaijani facilities and a gas compressor station transporting Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine," Aliyev's press service said in a statement, Reuters reported.

"They emphasized their confidence that these attacks would not hinder energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine."

Earlier this week, Russia struck an oil depot owned by SOCAR and a gas pumping station used to import liquefied natural gas from the US and Azerbaijan in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, according to sources and Ukrainian officials.

In July, Ukraine pumped a test volume of Azerbaijani gas through the Transbalkan route for the first time and announced plans to significantly increase gas imports from Azerbaijan.

Ukraine's infrastructure and energy facilities are frequently targeted by Russian forces, which have stepped up their drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns in recent months.