An investigation was opened in France on Monday after a fingertip was found in a letter sent to the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, a police source and the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday.
The letter was received at the French President's official residence, the Élysée Palace, and a source has confirmed that the severed finger belonged to the author of the letter who signed it.
The individual is being investigated for threatening to commit a crime or offence against an elected official, but is also said to be suffering from psychiatric disorders.
The morbid discovery was made by employees of the presidency of the Republic who alerted the police, according to the Valeurs Actuelles magazine.
Between 1,000 to 1,500 letters and emails are sent to President Emmanuel Macron every day. They are read and scanned by a team of 70 employees, whose offices are located outside of the Élysée Palace.
Emmanuel Macron keeps a close eye on his correspondence, seen as a sample of public opinion, and sometimes replies personally to certain messages.
