Identity of Woman Accused of Attempt To Poison Trump Revealed
The Canadian woman accused of sending President Donald Trump a letter containing the poison ricin has been identified as Pascale Ferrier of Quebec.
According to court papers filed Tuesday, Ferrier sent a letter to the White House and told the president to “give up and remove your application for this election,” the Independent reported.
The letter was intercepted at a U.S. government facility that screens mail addressed to Trump and an investigation indicated that the letter tested positive for ricin, officials told The Associated Press.
Ricin is a highly toxic substance produced from the waste of making castor oil.
Ferrier was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Sunday near Buffalo, New York, where she is expected to appear in federal court to face charges.
Woman accused of mailing ricin to Trump identified as Pascale Ferrier https://t.co/1cNdvBS5Ep pic.twitter.com/tZNSpKGUK3
— New York Post (@nypost) September 22, 2020
According to law enforcement officials, the woman had a gun on her at the time of her arrest, CNN reported.
Cpl. Charles Poirier, the spokesman for the Quebec division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said that the letter sent to the White House was not the only one Ferrier is accused of sending, according to CBC News.
“We believe a total of six letters were sent: one to the White House and five to Texas.”
Hidalgo County, Texas, Sheriff Eddie Guerra confirmed that he and three of his staff received letters tainted with ricin, but luckily no one was hurt.
The fifth letter is believed to have been sent to the Mission, Texas, police department.
Ferrier was arrested in Mission, Texas, in March 2019 for using a fake driver’s license, unlawfully carrying a weapon and resisting arrest, according to court records.
She pleaded not guilty and spent 20 days in jail before the charge was dismissed.
While in jail, officials found she had overstayed a six-month visa and violated the terms of her passport by committing a crime. She was then deported, according to The New York Times.
A response on Sept. 9 from a Twitter account with Ferrier’s name allegedly agreed with someone who said they have been waiting years for someone to “shoot trump in the face.” The original tweet has since been deleted.
“I just read this tweet. I agree … Nobody did anything… It’s time to change! #killtrump,” the response said, according to the Independent.
The Canadian woman charged for sending ricin to President Trump & law enforcement agencies in Texas was previously deported. Pascale Ferrier tried to cross back into the US on Sunday & was found carrying a gun. She recently tweeted about killing Trump. https://t.co/nvACsTHsTP pic.twitter.com/EnuKaViQwY
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 22, 2020
The RCMP conducted a search of a condo in Saint-Hubert in Montreal in connection with the ricin-laced envelopes, although officials have not confirmed Ferrier lived at the residence.
A team of officers with expertise in handling chemicals and explosives led the search in the suburban municipality, and neighbors in the surrounding buildings were evacuated.
Stéphanie Félix, who lives near Saint-Hubert, told CBC she was shocked her quiet neighborhood was at the center of the major police probe worked on by RCMP and the FBI.
“It makes you scared,” she said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it takes a “deliberate act” to try and poison someone with ricin.
There is no known antidote for the poison.
“Because no antidote exists for ricin, the most important factor is avoiding ricin exposure in the first place,” the CDC says.
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