Pentagon officials said that it detected the suspicious substance during mail screening at a remote facility while the FBI said it was conducting further testing on the packages sent to the Pentagon and White House.
“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.
Former Navy Sailor
Anonymous officials told Fox News that the packages sent to the White House, Pentagon, and Cruz were coordinated by a former Navy sailor who has not been identified.One of the envelopes addressed to the Pentagon contained a return address that led investigators to the sailor.
No other reports appear to provide any description a suspect or suspects as of Wednesday afternoon.
Ricin and Castor Beans
Ricin is a poison that is made from castor beans. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ricin “can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.”While initial reports indicated the packages tested positive for ricin, a Defense Department spokeswoman said on Wednesday that a preliminary analysis indicated the presence of castor beans but not the poison in a finished form.
Swallowing castor seeds can cause injury or worse due to the released ricin, according to the CDC.