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Man Says He Had Ricin for Self-Defense

Posted Mar 18, 08 7:35 AM CDT in Crime & Courts 

(Newser) – The Las Vegas man hospitalized by exposure to ricin in his hotel room told his brother he  did not intend to hurt anyone with it, the AP reports. Roger Bergendoff, who regained consciousness last week after a month, admitted possessing the biological agent but said it was for self-defense. "He just confirmed that it was not intended for anybody," said his brother. "It was something that would be used for his own purposes."

Nevada police have yet to say whether they will prosecute Bergendorff, but mere possession of ricin could land him in jail for 10 years; if he made the substance himself, he could be slapped with a life sentence. "He did talk as though he just had it there; he was almost kind of casual about it," Erich Bergendorff said.

Source Associated Press

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The Extended Stay America hotel is shown in Las Vegas on Thursday, March 6, 2008. The deadly toxin ricin was found at the hotel last month in Roger Bergendorff's room.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Castor seeds can be used to make ricin.   (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)
This undated picture provided by the FBI shows a vial the agency says contains ricin.   (AP Photo/FBI)
Nevada health official Lawrence Sands speaks during a news conference in Las Vegas. Police found large quantities of the deadly toxin ricin at a motel where Roger Bergendorff had been living.   (AP Photo/ Marlene Karas)
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FBI • Las Vegas • Nevada • suspected terrorists • biological weapons • toxin • ricin • Roger Bergendorff • Poison


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