What WAS he planning? Director of research at biotech firm, 37, is charged after 'buying 800 castor bean seeds to extract the deadly toxin ricin'

UK Daily Mail ^ | March 17 2021 | EMILY CRANE

[knighthawk]

The director of research at a Massachusetts biotech firm has been accused searching online for deadly poisons and purchasing 800 castor bean seeds so he could extract the toxin ricin from them, federal prosecutors say.

Dr. Ishtiaq Ali Saaem, 37, was charged on Tuesday with obstruction of justice after he allegedly lied to FBI agents when they were investigating why he was trying to acquire the deadly toxin.

Authorities say Saaem had ordered 100 packets of castor beans, which each contained eight seeds, online.

[Jonty30]

Eating somebody’s lunch is very serious with some people.

[Darksheare]

“What was he planning?”
Ishtiaq Ali Saaem

I don’t know, it’s a mystery at the All Ha Snack Bar.

[SaveFerris]

He was gonna some people did something

[jmacusa]

Ricin is one of the deadliest poisons on Earth. A match head of it is enough to kill a person.

[SaveFerris]

Lydia, the cat lady.

Goodbye, Lydia.

(click - well it was a cellphone, so...)

[DesertRhino]

I know pintos etc. but is there any legitimate use of castor beans? Do people grow and eat them or anything?

[Tench_Coxe]

Caster oil is derived from caster beans. It's used as a laxative among other things.

Maybe the guy has thinning hair or had constipation problems...

[Tench_Coxe]

It's sort of pretty, actually.

There has to be more to the story, unless the FBI is monitoring purchases on the internet.

[pepsionice]

Probably some sales trigger program...noting anyone buying more than one packet of seeds to be noted.

[Mr Radical]

Moslem + Deadly Poison = What WAS he planning?
If the Daily Fail can't work it out by now then they never will.

[EEGator]

Like if one rents a U-Haul truck, has no farm but orders 500lb of Ammonium Nitrate, and orders 4 dozen 55 gallon drums...

[Trailerpark Badass]

You can buy the ricin plant, but not pot. Genius.

[WinMod70]

Could be working on a COVID vaccine/treatment that is 100% effective at stopping the virus.

[null and void]

Castor oil is used widely as a standard for, hmmm, IIRC, melting point? viscosity? I daren’t look it up!

[null and void]

There has to be more to the story, unless the FBI is monitoring purchases on the internet.

I daren't look it up...

[grey_whiskers]

Dr. Ishtiaq Ali Saaem, 37,

One might be tempted to quip that (buying castor beans),
he might have been planning to put the “Die” in “Diversity”...

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Castor oil is a very good engine lubricant; it has good film strength and withstands high temperatures. Castor oil was the preferred oil for early aircraft, and it’s still available for racing applications.

I don’t know much about the beans themselves, but I think they’re sometimes used to poison garden pests. I sure wouldn’t eat any.

[Squeako]

Castor oil is also great for giving someone a case of the green apple splatters.

[lepton]

Is 800 beans enough to do what they claim with?

I seem to recall that while ricin is a tremendously strong poison, that it takes a lot of castor beans to derive any.