Paul Kevin Curtis Of Corinth, Miss., Under Arrest In Ricin Letters Probe, FBI Says

UPDATED 1:43 P.M. EDT U.S.A. (APRIL 25) The charges against Paul Kevin Curtis have been dropped and he has been released from custody. See this April 25 story by the AP via Yahoo News. Here, below, our earlier story . . .

The FBI has arrested Paul Kevin Curtis in the ricin letters probe, the agency said tonight.

Curtis, the FBI said, was arrested at his home in Corinth, Miss.

Corinth is a small city in Mississippi’s northeast.

Earlier today, the FBI said a letter sent to President Obama “preliminarily tested positive for ricin.”

Two other letters that preliminarily tested positive for ricin were sent to a U.S. senator and “a Mississippi justice official,” the FBI said.

One of the intended recipients was Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

Sen. Wicker.

“Gayle and I want to thank the men and women of the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police for their professionalism and decisive action in keeping our family and staff safe from harm,” Wicker said tonight in a statement. “My offices in Mississippi and Washington remain open for business to all Mississippians. We particularly want to thank the people of Mississippi for their thoughts and prayers during this time.”

Here is the FBI’s full statement this evening (italics added):

Today at approximately 5:15 p.m. CDT, FBI special agents arrested Paul Kevin Curtis, the individual believed to be responsible for the mailings of the three letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service which contained a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin. The letters were addressed to a U.S. senator, the White House, and a Mississippi justice official.

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 the following state and local agencies: the Lee County (Mississippi) Sheriff’s Office; the Prentiss County (Mississippi) Sheriff’s Office; the Corinth (Mississippi) Police Department; the Booneville (Mississippi) Police Department; the Tupelo (Mississippi) Police Department; the Mississippi National Guard 47th Civil Support Team; and the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security.