Pentagon officials said they discovered two packages suspected of containing the poison ricin, according to officials on Oct. 2.
The packages set off alarms as they were being screened in an off-site security mail processing center.
“On Monday, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency detected a suspicious substance during mail screening at the Pentagon’s remote screening facility,“ Col. Rob Manning said in a statement. ”The envelopes were taken by the FBI this morning for further analysis. All USPS mail received at the Pentagon mail screening facility yesterday is currently under quarantine and poses no threat to Pentagon personnel.”
The FBI issued a statement that it took possession of the envelopes, and they are undergoing further testing.
“On Tuesday, October, 2, 2018, in coordination with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, 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. As this is ongoing, we will have no further comment,” the FBI said, according to CNN.
It adds that when “made into a partially purified material or refined into a terrorist or warfare agent, ricin could be used to expose people through the air, food, or water.”