Posted on 02/29/2008 3:14:39 AM PST by maquiladora
LAS VEGAS (AP) Preliminary tests indicate that a package found at a motel contained the toxin ricin, and seven people have been taken to hospitals, authorities said.
Police were called to the Extended Stay America Motel on Thursday and retrieved a package from the motel manager that was determined to be a chemical or controlled substance, Officer Ramone Denby said.
Two preliminary tests indicate it contained ricin, he said. Results from further tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a second local lab are expected Friday, police said.
Homeland Security officials joined local police in the investigation. Officials from the FBI, Las Vegas Health District, a hazardous materials team and the National Guard were also at the scene.
Officers cordoned off the area and isolated the room where the substance was found.
Three motel employees and another person were quarantined and decontaminated at the site, then taken to hospitals for further testing, Denby said. All appeared to be in good condition, he said. Three police officers who had been exposed were also taken to hospitals.
It takes between six and eight hours for someone exposed to ricin to show signs of contamination, Denby said.
A woman who answered the phone at the motel declined comment.
Ricin is made from the waste left over from processing castor beans, and 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.
Ok... so they have NO information on the person, his name, his home town, and they’re not even sure how long he has been in that room. They don’t know if HE was in possession of the chemicals.
There were Beans found in the room.
The ricin is CONFIRMED. It’s a fact now.
That means it was locally produced, and castor beans were there. The person that checked in LATER ...??? stayed in the smae room???? and FOUND the RICIN? Wow. Ok, and then claimed to be a “relative” of the hospitalized person?
Am I hearing this wrongly?????????????
SEVERAL VIALS of RICIN.
HA!
So this was a conspiracy.
No, I did hear that correctly. The man who brought the stuff claims to be a relative, came in two weeks later, STAYED in the SAME ROOM... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
bttt
Critical dollars.. wow. Let’s make sure we plug for money.
Hmmmmmm
Color me confused!
Not able to watch real intently..other stuff going on, but so far she has done nothing but raise more questions.
Talking about money now...Geez....trying to use this to get more federal dollars...LOL
They’re scared to death people are going to bail out of Vegas by the tens of thousands, turning it into a ghost town.
Ok, they know it was manufactured. The patient is not a suspect. They don’t know who the target(s) were. They have no information.
They said he had one previous arrest somewhere, won’t tell.
Stated this is an ongoing investigation and until they figure this out, they aren’t going to tell any thing about it.
That’s the same thing I heard. The first guy was evicted, another guy came to get the first guy’s stuff—?????
Thanking you for the info....keep it coming. Volunteer efforts necessary for our Nation....Thank You!
Reading between the lines..LOTS OF ‘FRIENDS’ (cell?) involved..
I can see that being a concern.
Then again, you know, if I were a public official that is supposed to be concerned about the health of the public, I’d let the PEOPLE make that decision themselves if there was a threat, rather than gloss it over.
IF however, as they said they have recovered MANY vials of ricin... then likely the public is “safe” at this point.
Sounds like they may have recovered most of the poison and unless it was spread before... and there would likely have been other victims in two weeks.
Anyone know how to search evictions? Might be able to find out name...
But if the guy got ‘inhalation’ poison..could that mean it was aerosolized?
The police spokeswoman on CNN seems scared to death.
OMFG!!!!!!!!!
“Why would anyone make ricin?”
“There are any number of reasons... it might be experimental... we’re going to wrap this up”
Damn!!!!!!!!!!
DEAD PETS NOW!!
I didn’t think her answer to that question was as stupid as the question itself.
I don’t know, if the pet was without food and water for a week, it may die without any ricin exposure. They said the other 2 pets were alive, weren’t they?
“Ok, and then claimed to be a relative of the hospitalized person?”
You did not hear it wrong...she contradicted herself....first said it was a relative...then she said it was a friend.
Three animals, one dog dead, she says probably due to not eating for a week. They took the man to the hospital and left 3 animals alone in the room for a week????
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