Initial Tests: Ricin Found at Las Vegas Hotel

[Hissyspit]

Source: CNN

Initial tests: Ricin found at Las Vegas hotel

(CNN) -- Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, are investigating the discovery of what they believe to be ricin at an extended stay hotel Thursday. Authorities were called to an Extended Stay America hotel after staff found a suspicious substance in one of the rooms.

"They determined it might be some biological agent, and through presumptive tests, we determined it to be ricin," said Capt. Joe Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. "We don't know who it belongs to or why it would be here at this time."

Three hotel employees and a fourth person who came to the room to retrieve some items were taken to the hospital as a precaution, Officer Ramon Dendy told CNN. Three police officers who went into the room are also being watched at the hospital. None of the seven have shown symptoms of ricin poisoning, which can include anything from difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea and sweating to severe vomiting and dehydration.

"We did have enough ricin to be of concern," Lombardo said. "At this point, it has been contained and processed where it's not a threat to anybody."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/29/ricin.hotel/index.html

[lapfog_1]

1. False positives for ricin

are extremely common. Wait for the more definitive testing.

[annabanana]

5. But if it's positive, will we hear about it?

This is a bit disturbing..

[Adsos Letter]

2. I thought ricin was deadly in minute quantities...?

:shrug:

[ET Awful]

3. Being that the main base ingredient for ricin is castor beans, there is one very common thing that

gives a false positive.

Castor Oil isn't exactly uncommon.

[winter999]

6. They did find castor beans in the room. And that it was "100% ricin"

See:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/02/29/ricin.hotel/?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail

Another news article (AP I think) says that it takes 6-8 hours for the first symptoms to appear.

[LeftyMom]

4. Which extended stay america was it?

I was just there at one a few months ago, I'm wondering if it was the same one. Kinda thinking it might be, if it's the one pretty close to the strip, just over the freeway toward the Palms.

FWIW, all I made in my hotel room was breakfast and lunch for 20, which is a hell of a feat in a tiny motel kitchen with only two pans.

[Ian David]

8. I'm thinking it was the one with the corpses in the pool. n/t

[struggle4progress]

9. ... one mile west of the main Las Vegas Strip ,,,

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSL_50HRZqQkKtjm6dYQH0uqSScQ

[Hissyspit]

7. .

[struggle4progress]

10. Feds seek home search in ricin case

Associated Press - March 1, 2008 11:13 PM ET

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Federal agents plan to search the home of a man whose cousin may have been sickened by the deadly poison ricin (RY'-sihn).

Roger Von Bergendorff is in the hospital, unconscious, after an ambulance took him from his Las Vegas motel room on Valentine's Day ...

In a brief phone interview, Thomas Tholen told The Associated Press that his cousin is "holding his own" in the hospital.

Officials have secured Tholen's Utah home, where Von Bergendorff reportedly stayed, but have not searched it because they are awaiting court approval for a warrant ...

http://www.wandtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7952417

Related DU threads:

Guns, 'anarchist book' found in motel
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3205161

Man Critical After Ricin Find In Vegas
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3204437