Letter Containing Ricin Sent To Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)

FOX News can confirm a tainted letter has been sent to the office of Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, but thanks to security protocols, was picked off before it reached the Capitol.

FOX News Radio’s Jared Halpern has more from Washington DC:

That letter, we’re told, has tested positive for ricin.  It was sent to Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker.  Now, FOX has learned that Senators are getting updates from intelligence officials.

But essentially since the anthrax attacks, which you may remember, on the Hart Senate Office Building in late 2001, all mail that is sent to the Capitol complex, basically to lawmakers, goes off-site for testing.  In other words, this letter, it was tainted with ricin.  The system worked, it caught that letter.  Therefore, that mail was never actually forwarded to the U.S. Capitol.

Nonetheless, a letter has tested positive for ricin that was addressed to Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker, that word coming from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, released the following statement:

“Postal officials and law enforcement did an excellent job in detecting and preventing this threat before it reached the Capitol.  The protective measures worked.  For additional information, please contact the U.S. Capitol Police or the Sergeant at Arms.”

Editor’s Note:  Senators were briefed behind closed-doors twice on Tuesday.  Originally, FBI Director Robert Mueller and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano were scheduled to come to the Capitol to talk about cybersecurity, but that briefing then morphed into information about Boston after yesterday’s bombings.  Senate Sergeant at Arms Terry Gainer conducted a briefing for Senators specifically on ricin.