Ricin suspect in ‘body parts’ claim

A man accused of mailing letters with ricin to national leaders including Barack Obama reportedly believed he had uncovered a conspiracy to sell human body parts on the black market, and claimed “various parties within the government” were trying to ruin his reputation.

Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, was arrested at his home in Corinth, Mississippi, near the Tennessee border.

Authorities confirmed positive tests for ricin on one intercepted letter addressed to Republican senator Roger Wicker, which an FBI intelligence bulletin said were postmarked Memphis, Tennessee. President Obama received another letter where tests are pending

Preliminary field tests can often show false positives for ricin, which is derived from the castor plant that makes castor oil. There is no antidote and it is deadliest when inhaled.

Both letters said: “To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.”

They were signed: “I am KC and I approve this message.”

The letters were intercepted before reaching the White House or the Senate, but the scare set the US capital on edge after the Boston Marathon bombings.

Reports of suspicious items also came in from at least three senators’ offices in their home states.