Pair Questioned Over Ricin Find – UK
June 6, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
A father and son are being questioned by anti-terrorism officers following the discovery of the poison ricin at a house in County Durham.
The find is connected to a police inquiry into alleged extreme right-wing activity.
Ian Davison, 41, and his son, Nicky, 18, were arrested on Tuesday in raids at their homes in County Durham.
The ricin, said to be 6,000 times more toxic than cyanide, will be analysed at the Porton Down government laboratory.
Police have halted their search of Mr Davison’s home in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, until tests on the substance, found in a sealed jam jar, have been completed.
We do not believe that there is any risk to public health
Asst Ch Con Michael Barton
The former pub DJ’s son was detained at his home in Annfield Plain on suspicion of inciting racial hatred but is now also being held under the Terrorism Act.
It is understood his father is being questioned by Durham officers and the North East Counter Terrorism Unit at a police station in West Yorkshire.
Ricin Scare Prompts Hazmat Response
June 4, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
A Hazmat team responded this afternoon when police found what appeared to be ricin in an Everett Washington home at 1208 50th Street SW.
The situation started out as an alleged domestic violence assault. The 43-year-old victim was hospitalized, and an FBI spokesperson says after she got out, she discovered the hazardous materials and reported them to police.
Everett police recognized that the materials could be ricin, according to the FBI, and the scene was contained.
Hazmat crews said they found both the components to make ricin along with what appears to be the finished product in an office in the home.
The domestic violence suspect, the woman’s 46-year-old husband, is being hospitalized and will be taken into custody.
[...]
The FBI says this is not a terrorism-related incident.
While even the tiniest bit of ricin can be deadly, you have to be in very close contact with the toxin in order for it to get in your bloodstream.
For this reason, the FBI says the incident is not a public health threat. No homes have been evacuated.
