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Tag: U.S. Capitol Police

  • Man Who Allegedly Threatened To Decapitate Member Of U.S. Congress Arrested; Aniruddha Sherbow Sent Email With Subject Line Of ‘Cutting Off Tulsi Gabbard’s Head,’ Capitol Police Say

    Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
    Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

    UPDATED 1:57 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) A U.S. Congresswoman representing a district in Hawaii was repeatedly menaced by a man who threatened to cut off her head, U.S. Capitol Police said in an affidavit.

    Aniruddha Sherbow now has been arrested in Mexico and turned over to U.S. authorities in California for later return to the District of Columbia, the FBI said. He is facing a charge of transmission of threats in interstate commerce. The charge is filed in the District of Columbia, and the victim in the case is U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

    Gabbard, a Democrat, is a newly elected member of Congress. This is from her biography on her official Congressional website (italics added):

    In 2004, Tulsi voluntarily deployed to Iraq with her fellow Soldiers of the 29th Brigade eventually serving two tours of combat duty in the Middle East. Tulsi was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal during Operation Iraqi Freedom, was the first female Distinguished Honor Graduate at Fort McClellan’s Officer Candidate School, and was the first woman to ever receive an award of appreciation from the Kuwaiti military on her second overseas tour. Tulsi continues to serve as a Captain in the Hawaii National Guard’s 29th Brigade Combat Team. In between her two tours, Tulsi worked in the U.S. Senate as a legislative aide to Senator Daniel Akaka, where she advised the senator on energy independence, homeland security, the environment, and veterans’ affairs.

    In 2010, Tulsi ran for the Honolulu City Council and served as Chair of the Safety, Economic Development, and Government Affairs committee and Vice Chair of the Budget committee. Representing Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, Tulsi is one of the first two female combat veterans, first Hindu and first female of Samoan ancestry to ever serve as a member of the U.S. Congress.

    Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL

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

    breakingnews72UPDATED 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.
    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.

  • BULLETIN: FBI Says Letter Addressed To President Obama ‘Preliminarily Tested Positive For Ricin’

    breakingnews72BULLETIN: (UPDATED 2:06 P.M. EDT) The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service are investigating a letter sent to President Obama that “preliminarily tested positive for ricin,” the FBI says.

    Ricin is a deadly poison. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., also reportedly was sent a letter that preliminarily tested positive for ricin.

    The President has been briefed on the letters, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said minutes ago. Earlier, the FBI said “[t]here is no indication of a connection to the attack in Boston.”

    At least two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. The bombs killed three people, including an eight-year-old boy, and injured dozens. Some of those injured suffered the loss of limbs.

    This is the FBI statement in full (italics added):

    A second letter containing a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin was received at an offsite mail screening facility. The envelope, addressed to the President, was immediately quarantined by U.S. Secret Service personnel, and a coordinated investigation with the FBI was initiated. It is important to note that operations at the White House have not been affected as a result of the investigation.

    Additionally, filters at a second government mail screening facility preliminarily tested positive for ricin this morning. Mail from that facility is being tested.

    Any time suspicious powder is located in a mail facility, field tests are conducted. The field and other preliminary tests can produce inconsistent results. Any time field tests indicate the possibility of a biological agent, the material is sent to an accredited laboratory for further analysis. Only a full analysis performed at an accredited laboratory can determine the presence of a biological agent such as ricin. Those tests are currently being conducted and generally take 24 to 48 hours.

    The investigation into these letters remains ongoing, and more letters may still be received. There is no indication of a connection to the attack in Boston.

    The U.S. Capitol Police said that an investigation is under way into the the letter allegedly sent to Wicker, although the agency did not identify the Senator by name. Here is a statement, dated yesterday, by the Capitol Police (italics added):

    Washington, D.C. — Earlier today the United States Capitol Police (USCP) was notified by the Senate mail handling facility that it received an envelope containing a white granular substance. The envelope was immediately quarantined by the facility’s personnel and USCP HAZMAT responded to the scene. Preliminary tests indicate the substance found was Ricin.

    The material is being forwarded to an accredited laboratory for further analysis.

    The USCP is partnering with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate this incident. This is an ongoing investigation.

    This is a controlled event at an off-site facility. Operations at the Capitol Complex have not been affected as a result of the preliminary investigation.

    We will continue to keep our stakeholders apprised of any new information as it develops.

    UPDATE 2:06 P.M. CNN is reporting that the letters read, “To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.”

    And, according to CNN, the letters were signed, “I am KC and I approve this message.”

    The alleged signature on the letters are reminiscent of disclaimers on political ads in the United States.

  • BULLETIN: Family Of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Threatened With Murder And Rape, Feds Say; Glendon Swift Of Lenoir City, Tenn., Arrested; FBI Says Cantor Was Called Vile Names And That Swift Threatened To ‘Destroy’ Him

    Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., and House Majority Leader.

    BULLETIN: A Tennessee man has been arrested by FBI agents and police after making threats against Rep. Eric Cantor and his family, federal prosecutors said.

    Cantor, R-Va.,  is U.S. House Majority Leader.

    Charged with threatening to assault or murder a member of the immediate family of a U.S. official was Glendon Llewellyn Swift, 62, of Lenoir City. He was arrested by the FBI and Lenoir City Police late yesterday, and made a primininary appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley Jr. in Knoxville, federal officials said.

    “Threatening to harm the family of a public official is a very serious charge, and we are grateful to the FBI and their law enforcement partners for their quick action in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virgina.

    Events unfolded in this fashion, according to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI agent:

    On Oct. 28 at 9 a.m., a Congressional staffer in Cantor’s office in Glen Allen, Va., called U.S. Capitol Police after listening to two disturbing voicemails left for Cantor the previous evening. Capitol Police contacted the FBI in Richmond.

    In the voicemails, Cantor was called a “Republican son of a bitch.” Religious slurs repeatedly were directed at Cantor, according to the complaint.

    In messages laced with screaming and profanities, the caller said he would “destroy” Cantor, while also threatening to come to Cantor’s home to “murder” his wife and “rape” his daughter.

    Investigators traced the call to Swift’s cellphone, according to the complaint. Yesterday, Swift was stopped by a marked patrol car in Lenoir City for a traffic violation, and FBI agents questioned him.

    Swift admitted making the calls, according to the complaint.

    Lenoir City is in Loudon County in East Central Tennessee. The city has population of about 8,600. One of the state’s largest cities, Knoxville in nearby Knox County, is about 35 miles away from Lenoir City.