Man Arrested After Ricin Seen in Home

FOX News ^ | January 13, 2005 | AP

[dumpdaschle]

The FBI does not believe he has ties to terrorist groups.

[CindyDawg]

Well I was expecting "not terrorist related" :')

[dumpdaschle]

[OXENinFLA]

The FBI does not believe he has ties to terrorist groups.

Boy that's good.........< / sarc>

OCALA?!?!?!

That close to me!

[KoRn]

I saw that. I wonder how he got the stuff. Can it be 'home brewed'?

[Eurotwit]

Ricin is fairly easily made at home.

[silverleaf]

So he had a stash of ricin on hand for medicinal purposes?

[TXnMA]

Ricin? In a cardboard box?

Death wish...

[drt1]

Actually the Castor Bean plant is quite legal and common I grow several every summer. The beans are also legal.

I doubt if this kook had real Ricin - I suspect he thinks he was able to make it. Involves separating the outer husk of the seed from an inner, thin coating of the actual poison. Not an easy process for someone like this.

[OXENinFLA]

The Marion County Sheriff's Office was tipped off on New Year's Eve by an anonymous informant who told agents that Ekberg had been visiting clubs while carrying multiple firearms and vials of ricin. Chemical analysis later proved it was ricin.

[eyes wide] HOLY CRAP! This guy needs to be sent to GITMO!!!

[DCPatriot]

Steven Michael Ekberg huh?

What's his religion?

Or would I be guilty of profiling and generalizing?

[Peach]

Be careful, my friend.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Another DUmmie gets dished a cold helping of justice. Eat up, punk.

[OXENinFLA]

Oh this just keeps getting better.......

The sheriff's office was tipped off last week by an informant who alleged Ekberg had been carrying concealed weapons into clubs - and boasted of having ricin in one of several vials and glass tubes he allegedly showed off.

I'm glad someone call him in.

[Ramius]

faces up to 10 years if convicted of possession of a biological agent.

[sigh] Ricin is not a biological agent. It is a poison. That would make it a *chemical* agent. [sigh]

[phoenix0468]

It's one of the easiest home brew chemicals. It comes from some vegitable or fruit or something like that. Can't really remeber. It's the chemical that was used in the attack in the Tokyo subways a few years back. Killed a dozen or so and injured hundreds. Many still have breathing problems and some got dain bramage.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Can it be 'home brewed'?

Yes. With the vast resources of the internet, I'm sure a nutjob can find a recipe somewhere.

[phoenix0468]

What ricin is
Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste left over from processing castor beans.
It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.
It is a stable substance. For example, it is not affected much by extreme conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures.

[aruanan]

Florida officials later admit mistake: "Well, uh, we kinda mistook Rice-a-Roni and Rice Crispies for sumpin else. It musta been the cardboard box."

[BigSkyFreeper]

It's the chemical that was used in the attack in the Tokyo subways a few years back.

That was Sarin.