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| 'Ricin poison' packages sent to Pentagon | 'Ricin poison' packages sent to Pentagon |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Two packages containing a suspicious substance have been found at a Pentagon mail screening facility and sent to the FBI analysis, officials say. | Two packages containing a suspicious substance have been found at a Pentagon mail screening facility and sent to the FBI analysis, officials say. |
| The envelopes, which contained the deadly poison ricin according to officials cited by US media, were discovered on Monday. | The envelopes, which contained the deadly poison ricin according to officials cited by US media, were discovered on Monday. |
| The screening area is not inside the main building, which contains offices of high ranking military officials. | The screening area is not inside the main building, which contains offices of high ranking military officials. |
| The facility is now under quarantine, defence officials said on Tuesday. | The facility is now under quarantine, defence officials said on Tuesday. |
| The packages were detected by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, according to Pentagon Col Rob Manning. | The packages were detected by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, according to Pentagon Col Rob Manning. |
| All mail delivered on Monday is currently under quarantine, and "poses no threat to Pentagon personnel," he said. | All mail delivered on Monday is currently under quarantine, and "poses no threat to Pentagon personnel," he said. |
| The envelopes were addressed to Defence Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson, US media report. | |
| Ricin is made from the leftover by-products of castor oil. | |
| According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "It would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people." | |
| The federal agency said it can be manufactured into a weapon in the form of a powder, mist or pellet. | |
| Also on Tuesday, two people at Republican Senator Ted Cruz's office in Houston, Texas, were taken to hospital after coming into contact with a "white powdery substance", officials say. | |
| The Houston Fire Department tweeted that a hazardous materials crew is on scene at the evacuated office building. |