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October 12, 2008 7:57:51 PM CDT

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Firearms, Anarchist Book Found With Ricin

Posted Mar 1, 08 11:17 AM CST in US 

(Newser) – The authorities who discovered ricin in a Las Vegas hotel room also recovered firearms and an “anarchist-type textbook” with an earmarked entry about the lethal toxin, CNN reports. The 57-year-old man whose room contained the poison remains hospitalized in critical condition and unable to speak with investigators, but seven others checked as a precaution tested negative.

“We feel extremely positive we have all the ricin involved,” said Las Vegas’ police captain, “and there is no terrorist threat.” The infected man summoned authorities on Feb. 14, complaining of breathing difficulty, but police weren’t aware of the toxin until Thursday, when a relative clearing out his room notified hotel management. Ricin isn’t illegal to own and has medicinal uses, CNN notes.

Source CNN

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Castor seeds can be used to make ricin, and Las Vegas Police said Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 they found a substance that tests indicate is the deadly toxin ricin at a motel where a man had been living before...   (Associated Press)
Lawrence Sands, left, of the Southern Nevada Health District, speaks during a news conference, Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 in Las Vegas. Police said Friday they found a substance that tests indicate is the...   (Associated Press)
  (Index Stock)
The exterior of the Extended Stay America motel is seen where an unidentified man was staying with vials of the deadly toxin ricin in his room February 29, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The man has been...   (Getty Images)
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Las Vegas  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  • poison  • toxin  • ricin  • castor beans


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