Woman arrested over ricin mailed to White House

WASHINGTON — A woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin that was addressed to the White House was arrested at the New York-canada border, three law enforcement officials said Sunday.

The letter had been intercepted earlier this week before it reached the White House. The woman was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Peace Bridge border crossing near Buffalo and is expected to face federal charges, the officials said.

Her name was not immediately released.

The letter appeared to have originated in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have said. It was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump, and a preliminary investigation indicated that it tested positive for ricin, according to the officials.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

There have been several prior instances in which U.S. officials were targeted with ricin sent through the mail.

A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. The letters were intercepted, and no one was hurt.

In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials.