Someone actually tried to poison Donald Trump??? With a LETTER, added to that! And yes, this is the kind of letter that goes in an envelope, travels with a postman and finally reaches a letterbox. Except this time the letterbox was intended to be located at the White House and the letter contained poison, instead of the heartfelt words reading, “P.S. I love you.”
Pascale Ferrier, a Canadian woman, is suspected to have mailed letters containing the poisonous substance ricin to the White House, the Texas Police Department and multiple other locations in the Texas area.
According to The Guardian, the suspect was found and arrested when she was crossing the border from Canada to the US whilst carrying a gun. The arrest took place last Sunday (20th September) while Canadian officials searched an apartment in Montreal connected to Ferrier on Monday.
A team that specialises in biohazards swarmed the apartment building and evacuated several units in order to search for evidence linked to the ricin-laced letters. “We believe a total of six letters were sent, one to the White House and five to Texas,” stated a RCMP officer. “We can’t confirm that she lived in [the apartment], but it is connected to her.”
Ferrier, who is originally from France before later becoming a Canadian citizen, is said to have been charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon and knowingly using a fake Texas driver’s license back in 2019. Ferrier was then jailed in a Texas prison before being released after three months.
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Prosecutors in Washington D.C. are now filing charges against the 53-year-old suspect for her most recent allegations, and she is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday (22nd September).
According to a FBI statement obtained by CNN, there is said to be no threat to the public at this time. The FBI, U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are monitoring the case and investigating the suspicious letter.
According to CTV News, this is not the first time a U.S president has been sent ricin. Former President Barack Obama is said to have been sent poisonous letters containing ricin on two separate occasions in 2013.
Ricin is a highly potent toxin found in the seeds of the castor oil plant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Death from ricin poisoning could take place within 36 to 72 hours of exposure, depending on the route of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, or injection) and the dose received.”
