Obama assassination attempt foiled

It looks as though a deadly poisonous package addressed to the President has been foiled by security chiefs.

A letter addressed to US President Barack Obama containing a "suspicious" substance has been intercepted.

The suspicious package was identified at a remote facility where White House post is screened. It is believed that a substance known as Ricin, which is extracted from castor beans, is 1000 times more toxic than cyanide.

The US Secret Service will be particularly worried given that a Senate was sent a similar package two days ago and of course the murderous attack in Boston.

A spokesman for the Secret Service, which protects the US president and his family, said it was liaising with the US Capitol Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to trace the origins of the letter.

Staff Reporter