Woman Suspected of Sending Poisoned Letter to Trump Taken Into Custody

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Sep 21, 2020 12:49 AM EDT

A female suspect, who allegedly sent a letter with the deadly poison ricin in a package addressed to the White House for President Donald Trump, has been taken into custody.

On Sunday, a law enforcement official told CNN that the Customs and Border Protection agents arrested the unidentified woman in a New York state border crossing. The suspect tried to enter the U.S. from Canada.

The woman was allegedly armed with a gun when officers detained her. The official added that prosecutors in Washington D.C. are expected to bring charges against the suspect over the poisoned letter.

There has been no further information released about the female suspect. Last week, the law enforcement had intercepted a ricin package sent to Trump addressed to the White House.

As per two law enforcement officials, investigators looked at the possibility that the package came from Canada.

Female Suspect for Sending Poisoned Letter to Trump, Taken into Custody

(Photo : Sarah Silbiger)
President Trump Departs The White House En Route To North Carolina WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 19: U.S. President Donald Trump walks to speak to members of the press prior to his departure from the White House on September 19, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to North Carolina for a campaign rally.

All mails sent to the White House are sorted and screened at an offsite facility before reaching the White House. The poisoned letter sent by the suspect has undergone two tests to confirm the presence of ricin.

In a statement provided to CNN on Saturday, the FBI's Washington field office said that the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter sent at a U.S. government mail facility. But agency confirmed that there is no known threat to public safety at this time.

Similar packages mailed to addresses in Texas are also under investigation. According to a U.S. law enforcement official, authorities believed that the packages might be connected to the same sender in Canada.

Mary-Liz Power, chief spokeswoman for Canada's Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair, told CNN on Saturday: "We are aware of the concerning reports of packages that have ricin directed toward U.S. federal government sites. Canadian law enforcement is closely working with their U.S. counterparts. As this is an active investigation and we cannot comment further."

Daily Mail reported that the envelope was caught at the final offsite processing facility where mails are screened before being sent to the White House mailroom. Ricin is deadly if inhaled.

Meanwhile, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that it is coordinating with the FBI on the investigation.

According to sources, the law enforcement believes that the package has been sent from Canada and sought a female Canadian suspect. One package was aimed at a political figure while the suspect allegedly sent other poison packages to the sheriff's office and detention facility in Texas.

In 2014, a similar incident happened where actress Shannon Richardson was convicted of sending envelopes with ricin addressed to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Barack Obama. Richardson was sentenced to eighteen years in prison.