Envelope Sent to White House Tests Positive for Cyanide, Secret Service Confirms
WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) — An envelope sent to the White House mail screening facility Monday tested positive for cyanide, the Secret Service confirmed.
“An envelope containing an unknown milky substance, in a container wrapped in a plastic bag, received at the White House mail screening facility, tested positive for cyanide,” an internal law enforcement document obtained by The Intercept said.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed the find with a statement to CNN.
“On Monday … an envelope was received at the White House mail screening facility. Initial biological testing was negative; however, on [Tuesday], the chemical testing returned a presumptive positive for cyanide,” Leary said. “The sample was transported to another facility to confirm the results.”
He said the investigation is ongoing.
The return address on the envelope was for a man who has had previous dealings with the Secret Service dating back to 1995. The man has sent a package covered in urine and feces to the White House and in June 2012, he sent a package containing miniature alcoholic beverages.
There were no injuries associated with or exposure to the cyanide, a law enforcement official told CNN.
