Letter to White House Returns Presumptive Positive for Cyanide - East Idaho News
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Letter to White House Returns Presumptive Positive for Cyanide

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Thinkstock 031715 WhiteHouse?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1426638406558Vacclav/iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Secret Service was trying to determine Tuesday night whether a letter sent to the White House contained cyanide.

The letter returned a presumptive positive for cyanide, but it was being tested again to confirm the result, the Secret Service said Tuesday night.

The letter was received Monday at the White House Mail Screening Center, which is at a separate location from the White House, and after initial biological testing came up negative, chemical testing came up positive for cyanide.

The sample was transported to another facility to confirm the results, the Secret Service said.

Sources familiar with the case say that the substance was inside a plastic Ziploc-like bag inside an envelope. The sender is believed to be someone known to the Secret Service and charges are possible, depending on whether the material was indeed hazardous, the sources said.


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