Suspected cyanide in ball-pens seized from slain terrorists in Delhi

INdia Express ^ | Dec. 8, 2003 | India Express Bureau

[FairOpinion]

In a discovery which is first of its kind, police in New Delhi has recovered suspected deadly poison potassium cyanide filled in two ball-point pens from the two alleged Pakistani terrorists killed in an encounter near famous Lotus Temple in South Delhi last night.

The two pens contain white powder in the space meant for refill and it is suspected to be potassium cyanide, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Neeraj Kumar told reporters in New Delhi today, adding it was being chemically examined.

He said this was the first such recovery from terrorists and added that even in Jammu and Kashmir no such material had been seized till date.

Police also recovered two fake identity cards from the slain terrorists Hafiz Rashid alias Javed Iqbal, hailing from Abotabad in Pakistan and Bilal of Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Kumar said.

One is ostensibly an election I-card purportedly issued by Tehsildar of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir while the other is apparently a police I-card with Bilal's photograph and showing his name as Layaqat Hussain, the Joint CP said.

Police also recovered Rs 43,000 cash from them, he said.

[FairOpinion]

This article is from Dec. 8th, but I haven't seen any of it in the US media (nor posted here)

If Pakistani terrorists have these, then AQ probably does do, or am I being redundant.

Will they ban ballpoint pens from flights now?

[FairOpinion]

ping

[Doctor Stochastic]

The Bulgarians used far more deadly poisons on Georgi Markov. These guys must be amateurs.

[Calpernia]

ping

[FairOpinion]

"The two pens contain white powder in the space meant for refill and it is suspected to be potassium cyanide"


If they can put cyanide into the pen, they can also put anthrax and release it in malls.

[WackyKat]

Most likely for suicide if they were captured, not a weapon of terrorism

[Lazamataz]

The Bulgarians used far more deadly poisons on Georgi Markov. These guys must be amateurs.

Ricin.

In a miniature pellet.

Launched into Markov using a air-rifle mechanism mounted in an umbrella.

[PoorMuttly]

Hey shaggy....they found a couple of those cheap Chinese pens we were trying to sell to Wal-Mart a while ago. Man...uh...fish...doesn't sound right...anyway...we sure took a beating on that Container too. I would ask for the other 90,000 back...but according to this article...there's something wrong with them...so maybe we should do like we always do...and lay low until it blows over.

I bet it was Bert again.

Ain't this FReep-mail thing great ? I LOVE secrets.

Now where's "SEND" oh...must be this...OH N

[templar]

Most likely for suicide if they were captured, not a weapon of terrorism

Probably right, or for individual assasinations. Not enough cyanide could be placed in a pen to do much damage. I can think of a number of other substances, almost as easily obtained, that would make a far more useful weapon in a crowd or public place.

[JennysCool]

Just right for poison pen letters.

[Angelus Errare]

There are about a dozen groups fighting in Pakistani Kashmir and the difference between the 3 largest of them and al-Qaeda is largely one of semantics. Also, wasn't this the same stuff that the cell in Italy was working on that was busted in Rome in January 2002?

[LayoutGuru2]

Most likely for suicide if they were captured, not a weapon of terrorism

I agree, unless the pens were sommehow set up for injecting multiple doses to others.

[LayoutGuru2]

I wonder how much it takes to kill someone, maybe a pen full of the powder in someone's ice tea is only enough to kill one man.

[LayoutGuru2]

POTASSIUM CYANIDE