A man has been arrested after packages suspected to contain the poison ricin were sent to the Pentagon and President Donald Trump.

William Clyde Allen III, 39 and from Logan in Utah, has been detained.

The FBI said it was investigating "potentially hazardous chemicals" in Logan, which is 66 miles (106km) north of Salt Lake City.

Officials asked people to avoid the area, but said "no wider threat to public safety exists at this time".

Allen is a navy veteran who served for four years, between 1998 and 2002. He also has a criminal record having pleaded guilty to child neglect and abuse in 2004.


In 2008 he was jailed for two-and-a-half years for attempted aggravated assault. He was released in 2011.

Image: The packages were intended to get to the Pentagon but were intercepted

There were conflicting reports over whether the packages sent earlier this week had contained ricin or castor seeds, which can be used to make the poison.

At least two packages suspected of containing the poison were sent to the Pentagon but were intercepted at its mail screening facility.

One was addressed to defence secretary James Mattis and the other to navy chief admiral John Richardson.

Image: Ricin can be made from castor seeds

Separately, the US Secret Service said it had obtained a "suspicious envelope" addressed to Mr Trump the same day.

"The envelope was not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House," it said.

No one was hurt.

Image: One of the packages was addressed to defence secretary James Mattis

Ricin is lethal if swallowed, inhaled or injected. It is 6,000 times more potent than cyanide, with no known antidote.

Death can occur within 36 to 72 hours after exposure to an amount as small as a pinhead.