Federal authorities continue ricin investigations — President Barack Obama salutes as he returns to the White House after a trip to Chicago on Thursday, May Federal authorities searched the home of a Texas man on Friday in connection with an investigation into threatening letters, possibly tainted with ricin, that were sent to Obama. Hide Caption. Federal authorities continue ricin investigations — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also was recently sent threatening letters, possibly tainted with ricin.
Federal authorities continue ricin investigations — In April, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi was sent a suspected ricin-laced letter. Federal authorities continue ricin investigations — James Everett Dutschke speaks with the media as federal authorities search his Tupelo, Mississippi, home on April 23, in connection with several suspected ricin incidents. Dutschke was later charged with possession and use of a biological agent in connection with a ricin-tainted letter sent to Sadie Holland, a judge in Lee County, Mississippi.
Federal authorities continue ricin investigations — Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov died in London in after being hit by a ricin-filled dart that was fired from an umbrella. He is the only person known to have been killed in a ricin attack. Federal authorities continue ricin investigations — This tiny, ricin-tainted platinum ball killed Markov, who also was a broadcaster for the BBC. Story highlights The indictment says the defendant tried to blame another man The other man was arrested, then later released The 5-count indictment charges James Everett Dutschke with using ricin as a weapon Letters were sent to Obama and two others.
A fourth test proved inconclusive. Capitol Police learned from Wicker's staff that Curtis had sent similar messages to the senator and that Curtis had posted on his blog in that he was writing a novel about black-market body parts titled "Missing Pieces," the affidavit says. The medical effects of ricin How dangerous is ricin? Letter to Obama tests positive for ricin Envelope to senator positive for poison A similar letter -- bearing no return address and postmarked April 8 -- was sent to Holland at her office in Tupelo.
It too contained a "suspicious granular substance" that has yet to be tested, the affidavit says. A similar substance found Tuesday in an envelope addressed to Obama tested positive for ricin in a field test, it says. The three letters all contained "the same verbiage, font, style and paper color," it says.
The letters were postmarked Memphis, Tennessee, which is typically the postmark that letters mailed from northern Mississippi bear, it says. On his Facebook page, Curtis posted the same quote: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner in its continuance," the affidavit says. Corrie Robbins of the Booneville Police Department in Mississippi told investigators that Curtis had been investigated several times since , the affidavit says.
It adds that Curtis' ex-wife reported to police in that he was "extremely delusional, anti-government, and felt the government was spying on him with drones. Wicker said Thursday that he met Curtis about a decade ago. He was quite entertaining. In one photograph, he is shown under an "Elvis" sign holding a microphone as he appears to be singing.
He is wearing a white suit and sporting long sideburns and swept-back hair. What is ricin? The line in the letters about exposing "a wrong" comes from John Raymond Baker, a longtime Texas chiropractor, his wife said. It's been widely quoted online, but Tammy Baker sounded surprised that it was used in the letters under scrutiny in Washington.
The case also brought extra scrutiny for the FBI almost 12 years after a letter-borne anthrax attack that killed five people and puzzled investigators for years. The anthrax investigation came in the wake of the September 11, , hijacked plane attacks on the United States.
Agents from the FBI and members of an anti-terrorist response team from the Mississippi National Guard, some wearing hazardous material suits, had searched the home on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the premises of a former martial arts studio Dutschke ran in the city. Dutschke was cooperating with federal officials during the searches this week, his attorney said.
Dutschke has told local media that he knew Curtis but had only had contact with him three times, and not since Dutschke, who fronted a two-man blues band in Tupelo called RoboDrum, ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate in against Stephen Holland, a Democratic state representative from the Tupelo area.
Kevin Curtis was fired as a janitor from North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo after raising questions about body parts he said he observed there.
The hospital strongly denied the allegations. Dutschke faces other charges related to an April 1 indictment for fondling three children between ages 7 and 16, from to , according to court records. The FBI said on Thursday that more tests may be necessary to determine the potency of a granular material identified as ricin contained in the letters.
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