Suspect very considerately included return address on poisoned packages sent to the Pentagon

US Defense Department employees screening mail at a facility near the Pentagon.
(Image credit: THOMAS WATKINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Someone needs to retake Committing Crimes 101.

Law enforcement officials have identified a former Navy sailor who they suspect was behind a package that arrived Monday at the Pentagon containing a poisonous substance known as ricin, Fox News reported Wednesday. How did they find a suspect so quickly? Easy, they just checked the return address.

Two ricin-laced packages arrived at the Pentagon reportedly addressed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson. The Secret Service apparently tipped Pentagon officials, who put the packages under quarantine before anyone was hurt.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But the mystery of the poisoned packages may soon be wrapped up in a neat bow, if the person responsible really included their return address. The sailor was either framed by a very strategic criminal or simply very considerate, but either way, the FBI agents investigating the case surely appreciate the properly addressed mail.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.