James Everett Dutschke, a 41-year-old martial arts instructor appeared in federal court on Monday to face charges in connection with mailing letters containing the deadly poison ricin to President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials earlier this month, Reuters reported.
Dutschke responded briefly to a judge's questions at the hearing in Oxford, Mississippi, on whether he understood the charges against him. The judge then ordered a preliminary hearing be held on Thursday when prosecutors will present more detailed evidence in the case.
Dutschke has denied having any involvement with the letters and said he cooperated with federal officials during their searches when he was arrested on Saturday.
He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
Dutschke's arrest came nearly two weeks after suspicious letters intended for Obama and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi were intercepted in Washington. Tests showed they were tainted with ricin, a highly lethal poison made from castor beans, Reuters also reported. A separate ricin-lased letter was also sent to a Mississippi judge.
Authorities initially arrested another Mississippi man, Kevin Curtis, (an Elvis Presley impersonator) in the case but dropped the charges last week after a search of his house failed to turn up any evidence of his involvement.
Dutschke's name surfaced at a court hearing when Curtis' attorney suggested someone framed her client and mentioned a running feud between the two men.
On Saturday, Dutschke was charged with "knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon," the FBI's local field office and the US attorney's office had said in a statement.
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