Wednesday FBI officials in Spokane arrested a man for connection with mailing a poisonous letter to a government building.
37-year-old Matthew Ryan Buquet pleaded not guilty in his first federal court appearance Wednesday in Spokane. FBI Public Affairs Specialist Ayn Dietrich says Buquet faces a grand jury indictment for mailing a threatening communication.
On May 14th postal workers in Spokane intercepted a letter laced with ricin, a deadly poison, which was addressed to a Federal District Court Judge. No one was injured, but ricin poisoning can occur through ingestion, inhalation, or injection.
Buquet is listed in the sex offender registry for an offense in 1998. He works in Spokane at a rock blasting company, according to his Facebook page.
Assisting in the investigation were the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force, United States Postal Service Inspection Service, Federal Protection Service, and Spokane Police Department, led by Seattle’s FBI special agent Laura Laughlin.
Buquet remains in custody, with a bail hearing next Tuesday.
Copyright 2013 Spokane Public Radio