Miss. Ricin-Letter Suspect Arrested In Mississippi
The Federal Bureau of Investigations arrested a Tupelo, Miss. man for his connection to the ricin letters that were sent to several lawmakers and President Barack Obama.
Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, is thought to be responsible for mailing three letters – one to Obama, another to Miss. Rep. Sen. Roger Wicker and a Mississippi justice official laced with low-grade ricin through the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Preliminary tests for ricin on both letters were positive.
Curtis was arrested just after 5 p.m., after a joint investigation by the following entities: U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Capitol Police, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Jackson and Memphis.
The letters were intercepted Tuesday, never reaching their intended targets – the White House and Capitol Hill.
After the first ricin letter incident, a flurry of reports about suspicious packages in various Capitol Hill offices such as Dem. Mich. Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. Ariz. Sen. Jeff Flake and Rep. Texas Sen. John Cornyn. None of the field tests were positive for ricin.
Ricin, when inhaled, is deadly but not contagious. However, there is no cure. The letters sent to the president and Sen. Wicker were not considered weaponized.
The ricin-filled packages and letters came amid a week of terror in Boston when two bombings were detonated at the infamous marathon, killed three and wounding scores of others – some so seriously that they had to have their legs amputated. The FBI said the two instances do not look to be related.
According to an FBI bulletin, the letters had a phrase: “To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.” And, were finished off with: “I am KC and I approve this message.”
They had a Tennessee postmark with no return address.
According to sources, officials are acquainted with the suspect, who have sent other non-lethal letters before.
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