Mississippi man arrested in ricin letters investigation

Everett Dutschke was arrested by US marshals at his Tupelo home early Saturday, Tony Carlton the city’s police chief, told Reuters. He has been charged with the possession of a biological weapon ricin and attempting to attempting to use it has a weapon.

Agents from the FBI, the Capital Police and an anti-terrorists response team from the Mississippi National Guard, searched the suspect’s home and the premises of a former martial arts studio that Dutschke used to run in the city.

Ricin letters have been addressed to the Democratic President Barak Obama, as well as Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican for Mississippi. Earlier they had also been sent to an 80-year-old Mississippi judge, Sadie Holland.

Prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against Paul Kevin, an Elvis impersonator also from Mississippi, after no incriminating evidence was found after a search of his home.

Ricin is made from castor beans and can be deadly to humans if refined into an aerosol form. It is considered a potential terror weapon.