Senator sent Ricin tainted letter

chickaree wrote: I wonder if other Senators have been sent such letters. If not, I would tend towards someone with a personal grudge.

Sen. Claire McCaskill told reporters after a briefing for lawmakers that a suspect has already been identified in the incident. Members will be warning their home-state offices to look out for similar letters, she said.

Authorities are believed to have identified a suspect who regularly sends letters to members of Congress.

In 2004, three Senate office buildings were closed after preliminary tests found ricin delivered through the mail system in the Senate majority leader’s office. At the time the AP wrote, “Twice as deadly as cobra venom, ricin, which is derived from the castor bean plant, is relatively easily made and can be inhaled, ingested or injected.” But investigators later said the test may have picked up non-toxic byproducts of the castor bean plant used in paper production.

Science Chic wrote: You know, I would prefer to wait until a suspect is identified before making any judgements as to who it might be and why they did it - otherwise it's just speculation.

That this person has targeted other representatives indicates someone who is not mentally well, and has an ax to grind with government itself, not any particular political party affiliation.