CORINTH, Mississippi -- The FBI announced that at approximately 6:15 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, FBI special agents arrested
Paul Kevin Curtis at his residence in Corinth, Mississippi. Curtis is the suspect believed to be responsible for the
mailings of the three letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service which
contained a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for
ricin. The letters were addressed to a U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), the White House,
and a Mississippi justice official.
The arrest resulted from an investigation conducted by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Secret Service after a letter addressed to President Barack Obama contained a granular substance that preliminarily
tested positive for ricin. The envelope was immediately
quarantined by U.S. Secret Service personnel, and a coordinated
investigation with the FBI was initiated.
The FBI says that any time suspicious powder is located in a mail facility, field tests
are conducted. The field and other preliminary tests can produce
inconsistent results. Any time field tests indicate the possibility of a
biological agent, the material is sent to an accredited laboratory for
further analysis. Only a full analysis performed at an accredited
laboratory can determine the presence of a biological agent such as
ricin. Those tests are currently being conducted and generally take 24
to 48 hours.
The FBI says that the investigation into these letters remains ongoing, and more
letters may still be received. The FBI added that there was no indication of a connection between the letters containing ricin and the attack at the Boston Marathon.