Traces of Ricin Detected on Letter Intercepted in Capitol Mail, Intended for Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)?
Object Appearing to be Bomb Pictured in Photo Before Blast

Reported by CNN, relayed by a WUSA reporter on Twitter. I didn't see the report myself.

My actual guess here is that they are paying extra-special attention to the mail (recalling the anthrax letters post-9/11) and what they've found will turn out to be a false positive.

But obviously it's worth mentioning.

Update: Via twitter, someone says it tested positive for ricin three times.

Corrected: Wicker is a Republican from Mississippi, not a Democrat from Connecticut. I have no idea how I botched that.

Update: Via @benk84, picture showing a very suspicious package which seems to be placed in the epicenter of the blast.

We can't see who placed it there, not yet, but now that we know what the object looks like (white/natural dufflebag with orange-ish flap-top with brown leather bits?) we could use video to spot anyone carrying it pre-blast.

Letter-Sender ID'd: Apparently he writes to lawmakers a lot. The article does not say if he's kookoo or not. But, just playing the odds, he's probably not writing thank-you letters.

Ricin has been used by Al Qaeda -- but it had also been planned to be used by "geriatric militiamen" from George* in 2011.

Al Qaeda Suspected in the Bomb Plot... by federal investigators, but they have no good evidence supporting that hunch yet.

It is noteworthy that Al Qaeda has not claimed credit-- they've always before wanted publicity. But who knows, perhaps this is a new strategy of sowing doubt and discord, leaving their ownership of an atrocity up to public debate.

Update: Although it was claimed that the letter was tested three times, and showed positive for ricin three times, in fact a guy on CNN is now saying it showed 1 positive, 1 negative, and 1 inconclusive.

Thanks to @tsrblke.

* "George" is the polite, "vous" form of "Georgia."

posted by Ace at 06:23 PM

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