Veteran of the US Navy arrested for sending envelopes with white powder to Trump and the Pentagon

39-year-old William Clyde Allen from Utah, a veteran of the US Navy, arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of sending envelopes with ricin powder to the Pentagon and the White House. The suspect claims that he also sent letters to Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Photo: Davis County Sheriff's Office via AP

Recall that the envelopes, allegedly containing ricin, were addressed to the Secretary of the United States Department of Defense, James Mattis and a senior officer of the US Navy, Admiral John Richardson, writes Military Times.

A former military sailor who served in the navy almost two decades ago will be officially charged on Friday, prosecutors said.

Envelopes containing castor seeds containing ricin, the basis of a potentially lethal poison, were discovered on monday during a routine security check at the Pentagon's mail processing center. The center is located on the department's campus, but not in the building itself. The envelope addressed to the President of the United States also did not reach the White House - it was intercepted by the Secret Service.

Allen enlisted in October 1998 and left four years later in October 2002 at the rank of E-2, records provided by officials show. He first served as an assistant fire officer and took over in March 2002. Allen's assignments included 17 months aboard a combat support vessel and 15 months aboard a support vessel. Allen previously attended Damage Controlman "A" school at the Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois.

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- amacavinta (@amacavinta) October 3, 2018

Records show that Allen twice received the "E" Navy Ribbon, one of the awards of the US Navy, appreciating service. He was also awarded the National Defense Service Medal and two standard-type Navy ribbons. Allen was fired at the rank of E-2 seven months before the planned dismissal date of employees in that rank. This indicates that it could be abbreviated. Allen also registered with the Detroit 2001 crew registry on navysite.de in the crew lists of many Navy ships. This means he was most likely demoted twice before leaving the naval forces.

Ricin is obtained from castor beans, which can be dangerous if ingested. The poison can act through air, food and water. At a news conference in Logan, law enforcement officials said the envelopes bore the exact return address of 308 N. 200 West Logan, Utah, and asked the public to "stay away from this location during the entire operation due to the possibility of exposure to potentially dangerous substances."

Фото: Depositphotos

According to the Counter Domestic Terrorism website, Allen was engaged in the online pursuit of female veterans using his Facebook account. But while this information is not officially confirmed.

RBC clarifies that such letters, according to Allen himself, he also sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Whether these letters reached the addressees is unknown.

The publication adds that in the envelopes was a note with the words: "Jack and the seeds with powder to launch rockets." Allen said he bought 100 castor seeds on eBay for research. The man said that he had also acquired them in case of a third world war. In addition, the suspect noted that he was engaged in the study of ricin.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ricin in powder form can be used as a weapon that can cause death in certain circumstances. The Centers noted that the distribution of this powder is deliberate, unintentional or accidental poisoning with them is impossible except for the occasional use of castor beans.

Notable cases of ricin poisoning include the murder of George Markov, a Bulgarian writer and journalist who lived in London in 1978 year. Markov died after being attacked by a man with a fake umbrella, with which he made an injection and injected poison under the skin of a journalist.

According to the FBI, the suspect had previously threatened US officials. So, in 2015, he sent an e-mail message to the CIA threatening to "kill the president if the government did not stop violating his rights." In February, 2017, he sent messages with threats to the Air Force base in Texas. The note said that he had a bomb and he would use it. In both cases, he was interviewed by representatives of the special services, but no measures were applied to the man.

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