Ricin scare at DC base is false alarm
Apr 23, 2013, 9:48 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) – A defense official says an investigation of a possible suspicious letter at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., has turned out to be a false alarm.
Lt. Col. Thomas Veale, spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency, said Tuesday that while mail screening equipment alerted officials to the possible presence of a toxin, no suspicious letters or packages have been found at the facility.
Veale said that the FBI has taken samples and will do further testing.
Earlier Tuesday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters there had been an incident at the Bolling base that involved the “same substance” as recent letters sent to President Barack Obama and a U.S. senator. Other officials said initial testing at the DIA mail-sorting facility suggested it was ricin.
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