No link seen to Boston bombings; suspect had history of arrests
By Miriam Raftery
April 17, 2013 (Washington D.C.) Today at 5:15 p.m., FBI special agents arrested Paul Kevin Curtis, the suspect believed to be responsible for mailings of the three letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service to top officialswhich contained a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for the toxin ricin., the FBI announced. The letters were addressed to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Wicker, and a Mississippi justice official.
The letters read: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance." They were signed "I am KC and I approve this message," CNN reports.
The individual was arrested at his residence in Corinth, Mississippi following an investigation conducted by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Memphis, Tennessee and Jackson, Mississippi; the U.S. Capitol Police; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Secret Service, aided by state and local agencies.
Any time suspicious powder is located in a mail facility, field tests are conducted. The field and other preliminary tests can produce inconsistent results, the FBI advises. 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 investigation into these letters remains ongoing, and more letters may still be received. There is no indication of a connection to the attack in Boston, according to the FBI.
Curtis, the man arrested for allegedly sending the letters, is well known to au thorities as obsessed with multiple conspiracies such as organ-harvesting and a mafia conspiracy. He has posted rants on Facebook and been arrested several times, the Clarion-Ledger reports.
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