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Poison Feared in Letters to Obama and Lawmakers Mississippi Man Is Arrested in Sending of Suspicious Letters
(about 5 hours later)
WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that a letter addressed to President Obama appeared to contain the poison ricin. WASHINGTON — Federal agents arrested a man on Monday suspected of sending letters feared contaminated by the poison ricin to President Obama and a Mississippi senator, according to two officials with knowledge of the case. The suspect was identified as Paul Kevin Curtis of Tupelo, Miss.
The letter was intercepted at a screening facility outside the White House, the Secret Service said. The arrest, two days after the letters were intercepted in mail-sorting facilities for the White House and the Capitol, was based on information collected “very early on” about who had sent the letters, said one of the officials. The letters contained a postmark from Memphis but no return address, Senate officials said.
It was received on Tuesday — similar timing to a letter addressed to Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, that tested positive for ricin. The letter addressed to the president had similar markings and was similar in appearance to the one addressed to Mr. Wicker, according to a law enforcement official. Tupelo is the hometown of Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican senator to whom one of the letters was addressed. The letters were signed: “I am KC, and I approve this message.”
In a statement, the F.B.I. said that the letter to the president contained “a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin.” The bureau also said that ricin had been discovered at another mail screening facility. The speedy arrests in the case may calm nerves in the nation’s twitchy capital, where it had begun to feel like the fraught weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when anthrax-laced letters were mailed to media organizations and two Democratic senators, killing five people and making 17 others sick.
The Secret Service did not disclose what was in the letter or provide any details, saying it was intercepted in a facility that “routinely identifies letters or parcels that require secondary screening or scientific testing before delivery.” Late Wednesday morning, on Capitol Hill, the Hart Senate Office Building was shut down, with no one allowed to enter, but the building was not evacuated. Capitol Police officers were yelling at staff members in the hallways to get back in their offices.
The mailing facility is not close to the White House grounds, the Secret Service said. An official said the Secret Service was working with the Capitol Police and the F.B.I.
On Capitol Hill, the Hart Senate Office Building was shut down late Wednesday morning, with no one allowed to enter, but the building was not evacuated. Capitol Police officers were yelling at staff members in the hallways to get back in their offices.
“Apparently there was a package over there, and they said to walk the way I have,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said as he left the Hart building heading to the Dirksen Senate Office Building.“Apparently there was a package over there, and they said to walk the way I have,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said as he left the Hart building heading to the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The Capitol Police confirmed that a suspicious package was found on the atrium level of the Hart building, as well as on the third floor of the Russell Senate Office Building.The Capitol Police confirmed that a suspicious package was found on the atrium level of the Hart building, as well as on the third floor of the Russell Senate Office Building.
They also said that officers were talking to a man in the Hart building about the suspicious packages. The building was reopened a short time later. They also said officers were talking to a man in the Hart building about the suspicious packages. The building was reopened a short time later.
Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, also released a statement on Wednesday saying that a suspicious letter had been found at his office in Saginaw. After the letter found to contain ricin was sent to Mr. Wicker, the senators were briefed on protocol for their state offices to follow if they received a suspicious letter. Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, also released a statement on Wednesday saying a suspicious letter had been found at his office in Saginaw. After the letter thought to contain ricin was sent to Mr. Wicker, the senators were briefed on protocol for their state offices to follow if they received a suspicious letter.
“Earlier today, a staffer at my Saginaw regional office received a suspicious-looking letter,” said the statement released by Mr. Levin’s office. “The letter was not opened, and the staffer followed the proper protocols for the situation, including alerting the authorities, who are now investigating. We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat. I’m grateful for my staff’s quick response and for government personnel at all levels who are responding.”“Earlier today, a staffer at my Saginaw regional office received a suspicious-looking letter,” said the statement released by Mr. Levin’s office. “The letter was not opened, and the staffer followed the proper protocols for the situation, including alerting the authorities, who are now investigating. We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat. I’m grateful for my staff’s quick response and for government personnel at all levels who are responding.”

Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting.

Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: April 17, 2013

An earlier version of this article gave an incorrect name for the suspect. He is Paul Kevin Curtis, not Kenneth Curtis.