Mail Addressed to Mattis and Navy Chief Test Positive for Ricin Two envelopes sent to the Pentagon’s mail facility initially tested positive for the deadly poison Ricin. The intended recipients were
Secretary of Defense James Mattis
and Chief of Naval Operations
Adm. John Richardson. The packages were intercepted before making it inside of the
headquarters in Virginia. Both sparked alarms as they underwent a security screening, according to the Military Times. Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman Ricin is a highly toxic compound extracted from castor beans. The substance is deadly if swallowed, inhaled or injected in tiny doses.