Summary Arrest made as part of a probe into poison-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and others.
WASHINGTON AFP - US authorities have arrested a man as part of a probe into poison-laced letters sent to President Barack Obama and others, police said Saturday.
Everett Dutschke was taken into custody "without incident" at his home in Tupelo, Mississippi, around 1 am Saturday morning, Scott Floyd of the Tupelo Police Department told AFP.
Dutschke has been turned over to the US Marshals Service, Floyd added. He declined to provide more information.
Three letters laced with ricin were discovered last week as the nation was reeling from a deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon.
They were addressed to Obama, Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a justice of the peace in the same US state, Sadie Holland.
Authorities had initially arrested another man in the case but the charges against him were later dismissed and he was released from jail.
Everett Dutschke, 41, was arrested about after midnight Saturday at his home in connection with the letters, FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden said. The letters, which allegedly contained ricin, were sent last week to Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and earlier to an 80-year-old Mississippi judge, Sadie Holland.
Madden said Dutschke was arrested without incident. She said additional questions should be directed to the U.S. attorney s office. The office in Oxford did not immediately respond to messages Saturday.
Dutschke s attorney, Lori Nail Basham, did not immediately respond to phone or text messages Saturday.
Charges in the case were initially filed against an Elvis impersonator but then dropped. Attention then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect and the judge and senator.
