Law enforcement intercepts package of deadly ricin poison mailed to President Trump

A package containing ricin that was mailed to President Donald Trump at the White House was intercepted by law enforcement. CNN reported that the package of deadly poison was intercepted at a mail facility earlier this week.

"The FBI and our U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility. At this time, there is no known threat to public safety," the Washington field office of the FBI said in a statement.

The package was intercepted at a secure offsite facility, but it was addressed to Trump at the White House.

Sources say two tests were performed on the substance and confirm that it was ricin, a deadly toxin.

Ricin is a deadly toxin that is extracted from the seed of the castor plant, often called a "castor bean," despite not actually being a bean. "An average adult needs only 1.78 mg of ricin injected or inhaled to die; that's about the size of a few grains of table salt—which ricin resembles visually," according to the Popular Science.

In 2014, "The Walking Dead" actress Shannon Richardson was convicted of sending envelopes that contained highly toxic ricin to then-President Barack Obama and then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

She pleaded guilty to possession of a toxin for use as a weapon. Richardson was sentenced to 18 years in prison and ordered to pay $367,000 in restitution.