Suspicious substance discovered in envelopes sent to Pentagon

Multiple letters mailed to the Pentagon tested positive for a suspicious substance on Tuesday, according to the Defense Department.

“The Pentagon Force Protection Agency detected a suspicious substance during mail screening at the Pentagon’s remote screening facility. The envelopes were taken by the FBI this morning for further analysis,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in a statement.

{mosads}“All [United States Postal Service] mail received at the Pentagon mail screening facility yesterday is currently under quarantine and poses no threat to Pentagon personnel.”

A Pentagon official told the Military Times that the packages were addressed to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson.

CNN first reported that the letters tested positive for ricin, a toxic substance that has been used in terror plots.

The parcel did not enter the Pentagon, as the mail facility is separate from the Pentagon, and no ill effects from exposure to the substance have been reported.

The Pentagon’s mail processing facility is underground and was built following the Sept. 11 attacks to screen all deliveries. 

Updated: 6:45 p.m.