Person of interest arrested for sending Ricin-laced letters to Obama and Bloomberg

KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather

KSLA – A New Boston man is being questioned by the FBI and items have been taken from his home in connection with the investigation into ricin-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the gun control lobbying group Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Agents could be seen late Thursday night removing items from the South Maple Street home of a man identified by neighbors as Nathaniel Richardson. Neighbors told KSLA News 12’s Fred Gamble that he is an Army Veteran who works at the Red River Army Depot.

Both Richardson and his wife were questioned at their New Boston home, where they live with their five children. Initial reports stated that Richardson had been questioned at his workplace and later at his home. Gamble reported that the wife had been in the back seat of a law enforcement unit before being returned to the house.

The ArkLaTex became ground zero in the hunt for the source of the letters when authorities discovered that the letters, sent to Obama and N.Y. City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, were distributed out of the main branch of the post office in Shreveport.

The Shreveport postal center handles mail from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, so the letters could have come from any of those states.

According to CBS News, law enforcement sources say the ricin is of poor quality and is a low-level, crudely made poison.

Authorities revealed on Thursday that a third such letter, addressed to Obama, is still being tested. But CBS News reports that the letter bears the same postmark, and, from all appearances seems to be connected to the other two. All three letters have a May 20th and Shreveport postmark.


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