Ricin Found at Las Vegas Motel
February 29, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
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Ricin was found in Las Vegas motel.
Authorities say preliminary tests indicate the package found at the Extended Stay America Motel Thursday contained the toxin ricin. Seven people, three motel employees, three police officers and another person were taken to hospitals. All were reported in good condition.
FBI spokesman Richard Kolko in Washington says the event does not appear to be terrorism related. He says the FBI is assisting local police in the investigation.
Reports say a man who brought the substance to the motel manager told police he found it in a suite and it did not belong to him. Two preliminary tests indicate it contained ricin. Results from further tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a second local lab are expected Friday.
Ricin can be extremely lethal. As little as 500 micrograms, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the CDC. A Las Vegas police spokesman says ricin has no medical uses other than cancer research and only those involved in cancer research or cancer prevention would have a legal or proper means of possessing it.
UPDATE: Las Vegas police found vials of the deadly toxin ricin and its key ingredient yesterday in a local hotel room, almost two weeks after its occupant was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
“We dont know if the guy was manufacturing the ricin or not, and thats our concern, Captain Joseph Lombardo said in a televised press conference. “Hes not a suspect at this point.
Police and the FBI, which is assisting the inquiry, said there is no reason to suspect terrorism. Castor beans, the key ingredient of the toxin, were found in the room, police said. Ricin is also used in experimental cancer treatments.
Federal officials have warned police departments since the Sept. 11 attacks to look out for ricin, which could be deadly in the hands of terrorists. It may be used to contaminate air- conditioning systems, drinking water or lakes, the FBI has said.
Las Vegas Deputy Police Chief Kathy Suey told the press conference that ricin was found in the Extended StayAmerica hotel room after a friend or relative of the man came to clean it out. It had been vacant since the man was hospitalized, she said. He had called an ambulance Feb. 14, complaining of breathing problems.
Several Vials
Police took custody of several vials containing the poison, which is thousands of times more lethal than cyanide. Six people were taken to a hospital as a precaution, but none fell ill, Suey said.
Police declined to identify the man, other than to say he was middle-aged.
“This is the just the beginning of what is obviously going to be a complex investigation, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Detective Bill Cassell said in a telephone interview today.
UPDATE: Detectives say ricin may have been part of a murder plot.
A man who stayed in a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin was discovered on Thursday has been hospitalized in critical condition since Feb. 14 with symptoms consistent with exposure to the deadly toxin, Las Vegas police said Friday.
Deputy Chief Kathleen Suey said the man had been staying in the room where the ricin was found for an unknown length of time and was leasing the room when the substance was discovered. A man, said to be a relative or friend of the sick man, had gone into the room to retrieve the patient’s belongings when he found the vials of white powder and showed it to the hotel’s manager, Deputy Chief Suey said.
Police were called by the hotel. The man had been hospitalized on Feb. 14 with respiratory distress but did not indicate to doctors that he may have been exposed to ricin, so the health district and police were not notified of the prospect, she said.
UPDATE: Adding to the mystery, police say firearms and an “anarchist type textbook” were found in the same room where the ricin was discovered two days later.Capt. Joseph Lombardo said at a news conference late Friday that the book was tabbed at a spot with information about ricin. Police found the firearms and books on Tuesday after a manager at the Extended Stay America motel called police upon discovering weapons, he said, without elaborating.
