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This is a list of incidents involving the poison ricin.

September 1978, London, UK, assassination of Georgi Markov

On 7 September 1978 the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was shot in the leg in public on Waterloo Bridge in the middle of London by a man using a weapon built into an umbrella. The weapon embedded a small pellet in Markov's leg which contained ricin. Markov died four days later.

August 1981, Vienna, Virginia, USA, assassination attempt on Boris Korczak

On 14 August 1981, exposed CIA double agent Boris Korczak was shot with some sort of air gun which fired a minuscule pellet containing ricin into his kidney. This attempt on his life happened while he was shopping at Giant Food Store in Vienna, Virginia. Korczak and the CIA are convinced that this was the work of the KGB as he had penetrated deep into the secret organization and damaged them for millions of dollars. Korczak survived, and he attributes this to the fact that he was luckily shot in the kidney and that his body treated the projectile as though it were a kidney stone, thus limiting exposure of his body to the toxin.

December 1995, Onia, Arkansas

Thomas Lewis Lavy was arrested in Onia, Arkansas for possession of ricin. In April 1993, Lavy was caught while trying to smuggle 130 grams of ricin from Alaska into Canada. Lavy stated that he purchased the ricin to poison coyotes on his farm in Arkansas and keep them away from his chickens. Lavy was stopped at the Beaver Creek border crossing by Canadian custom agents who found, along with the 130 grams of ricin, $89,000, a knife, four guns, and 20,000 rounds of ammunition. Lavy was charged with possession of a toxic substance with intent to use it as a weapon. At the time of Lavy's arrest, FBI agents found castor beans and copies of one book describing how to extract ricin from castor beans, and another discussing ways to poison people with toxic compounds. Lavy was ordered to be held until a January court date in Alaska, but committed suicide in his prison cell before the trial.

January 1997, Janesville, Wisconsin, USA

Authorities discovered various toxic substances in the house of Thomas Leahy in Janesville, Wisconsin. They discovered the substances after they had been called to Leahy's home after he had shot his son in the face, following a night of drinking. Among the chemicals discovered were 0.67 grams of ricin and nicotine mixed with a solvent that allowed it to penetrate the skin and have lethal effects. Authorities also found books relating to the production of chemical and biological agents. Chemicals were also found in a storage shed that Leahy kept in Harvard, Illinois. He reportedly told his sister that he was going to use the poison to coat razor blades and mail them to his enemies in hopes that they would cut themselves and be exposed. Leahy pleaded guilty to possession of the ricin and was sentenced to eight years for the shooting and six-and-one-half years for possessing dangerous materials.

1 April 1997

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigators searched the home of James Dalton Bell, a 39-year-old electronics engineer, and discovered a cache of chemicals, which included sodium cyanide (500 grams), diisopropyl fluorophosphate, and a range of corrosive acids. Subsequent analysis of computer files confiscated from the residence revealed that Bell engaged in e-mail communications with a friend, Robert East, a 46-year-old merchant marine radio operator, that expressed a desire to obtain castor beans to see if they could extract ricin. Bell had already acquired the home addresses of nearly 100 federal employees from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), IRS, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and computer files from voter registration. Bell was in the process of producing and acquiring chemical and biological agents.

March 1998, Michigan, USA

Three members of a splinter group of the North American Militia in Michigan were arrested on weapons and conspiracy charges. The April 1998 indictment was the result of an investigation involving an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) agent who infiltrated the group in March 1997. When federal law enforcement raided the homes of these men, they discovered an arsenal of weapons and a videotape. Produced in a cooking-show format, the tape gave instructions on how to manufacture bombs and other assorted militia-type weaponry, including a feature segment on how to extract ricin from castor beans. During the court proceedings, prosecutors drew attention to the ricin segment, stating that the men were "collecting information on the manufacture and use of ricin." However, other than the videotape, no materials associated with ricin production were found in any of the raids.

November 1999, Tampa, Florida, USA

Press reports indicated that FBI agents had apprehended a man in Tampa, Florida, for threatening to kill court officials and "wage biological warfare" in Jefferson County, Colorado. James Kenneth Gluck, 53, a former Colorado resident, sent a 10-page letter to Jefferson County judges threatening to kill them with a biological agent. He specifically identified one judge by name. FBI agents arrested Gluck on 5 November 1999 as he left a public library near his home in Tampa. Police, fire, and hazardous materials (HazMat) crews responded to the scene along with the FBI and blocked off Gluck's street. Upon searching his residence the next day, agents discovered that Gluck had the necessary ingredients to make ricin, though no refined ricin was actually found. They also found test tubes and beakers, as well as the "anarchist's cookbook" and books on biological toxicology, in a makeshift laboratory in his home.

August 2001

The Russian Federal Security Service told the Itar-Tass news service it had intercepted a recorded conversation between two Chechen field commanders in which they discussed using homemade poisons against Russian troops. According to Itar-Tass, Chechen Brigadier General Rizvan Chitigov asked Chechen field commander Hizir Alhazurov, who is now living in the United Arab Emirates, for instructions on the "homemade production of poison" for use against Russian soldiers. Russian authorities reportedly raided Chitigov's home and seized materials, including instructions on how to use toxic agents to contaminate consumer goods, a small chemical laboratory, three homemade explosives, two land mines, and 30 grenades. The confiscated papers reportedly also contained instructions on how to produce ricin from castor beans.

June 2002

Kenneth R. Olsen, 48, was arrested for possession of the biological agent ricin in his Spokane Valley, WA, office cubicle. Co-workers at Agilent, a high-tech company, tipped FBI officials about the software engineer after discovering documents on "how to kill," undetectable poisons, and bomb-making Olsen had printed out from his computer. Olsen insisted that his research was for a Boy Scout project, but did not say more. Further investigation of his office produced test tubes, castor beans, glass jars, and approximately 1 gram of ricin.

August 2002

Reports have emerged that Ansar al-Islam, a Sunni militant group, has been involved in testing poisons and chemicals including ricin. According to one report the group tested ricin powder as an aerosol on animals such as donkeys and chickens and perhaps even an unwitting human subject. No more specific details have been released.

January 2003 arrests in Britain

On 5 January 2003 the Metropolitan Police raided a flat in north London and arrested six Algerian men whom they claimed were manufacturing ricin as part of a plot for a poison attack on the London Underground. No ricin was recovered as a result of this raid. Only one person was convicted (of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance by the use of poisons and/or explosives to cause disruption, fear or injury) and jailed for 17 years. He had previously received a life sentence for stabbing and killing a policeman during the raid.

The U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell used this incident in his 5th February 2003 speech to the UN as part of the case for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, as the "UK poison cell" part of the alleged Abu Musab al-Zarqawi global terrorist network.

2003 letters in the U.S.

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In 2003, a package and letter sealed in a "ricin-contaminated" envelope was intercepted in Greenville, South Carolina, at a United States Postal Service processing center.

Ricin was detected in the mail at the White House in Washington, D.C. in November 2003. The letter containing it was intercepted at a mail handling facility off the grounds of the White House, and it never reached its intended destination. The letter contained a fine powdery substance that later tested positive for ricin. Investigators said it was low potency and was not considered a health risk. This information was not made public until February 3, 2004, when preliminary tests showed the presence of ricin in an office mailroom of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's office. There were no signs that anyone who was near the contaminated area developed any medical problems. Several Senate office buildings were closed as a precaution.

January 2006, Richmond, Virginia, USA

In January 2006, ricin was found in a home in suburban Richmond, Virginia in the form of mashed castor beans. The suspect, Chetanand Sewraz, was allegedly isolating the toxin to kill his estranged wife.

February 2008, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

In February 2008, a man who stayed in a Las Vegas motel room where ricin was found was taken to hospital in critical condition. The man, Roger Von Bergendorff, was hospitalized on February 14; however, the ricin was not found until February 27 when a relative retrieved his luggage because the motel had not been paid for two weeks. Firearms and an "anarchist type textbook" were found in the same motel room where several vials of ricin were found, police reported. According to Las Vegas 8 Television news, police noted the ricin section of the textbook was highlighted. On March 3, FBI agents searched at Riverton, Utah house and several storage lockers in West Jordan, Utah linked to Bergendorff, but did not find any traces of ricin. Bergendorff awoke from a coma on March 14. He was questioned by police as to why he had such a large quantity of ricin. Subsequently, he was arrested on April 16 and charged with possession of a biological toxin and two weapons offenses.

January 2009, Seattle, Washington, USA

The managers of eleven gay bars in the Capitol Hill region of Seattle received letters from an anonymous sender claiming to be in possession of 67 grams of Ricin that would be used to dose exactly 5 patrons from each establishment with the intent of killing them.

Speculations that the terrorist was possibly a homosexual himself abound, particularly as the letter directly quotes a poem by gay author Mark Doty in a recently published anthology.

While the community's response to the threats was to patronize the clubs all the more fervently but with extra caution, no cases of poisoning were reported.

June 2009, County Durham, England

During the raid on the homes of a man and son in June 2009, a very small amount of ricin was allegedly found in a sealed jam jar kept in a kitchen cupboard. A father and son, Ian and Nicky Davison were arrested under the 2000 Terrorism Act. The arrests followed a long-running intelligence-led operation against extreme right-wing activity. Ian Davidson was sentenced to ten years in May 2010, for preparing acts of terrorism, three counts of possessing material useful to commit acts of terrorism and possessing a prohibited weapon; whilst his son was given two years youth detention for possessing material useful to commit acts of terrorism.

June 2009, Everett, Washington, USA

On June 4, 2009 local ABC affiliate KOMO 4 News reported that authorities had isolated a suburban home in Everett, WA and part of the surrounding neighborhood after the suspected discovery of ricin in the home. The suspected discovery of ricin occurred after the resident(s), a husband and wife, returned from the hospital following a domestic disturbance report.

January 2011, Akron, Ohio, USA

On January 25, 2011, FBI agents allegedly discovered ricin in a home near Portage Lakes.

References

1. Schep LJ, Temple WA, Butt GA, Beasley MD (2009). "Ricin as a weapon of mass terror--separating fact from fiction". Environ Int. 35 (8): 1267–71. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2009.08.004. PMID 19767104.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. ^ http://cns.miis.edu/reports/ricin_chron.htm
3. "Killer jailed over poison plot". BBC. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
4. Investigation of a Ricin-Containing Envelope at a Postal Facility - South Carolina, 2003
5. http://wtvr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4457615
6. http://wtvr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4457626
7. "Police: Man in critical condition after exposure to ricin - CNN.com". CNN. 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
8. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080229/ap_on_re_us/motel_hazardous_material;_ylt=AtfdNqvbxuM_cNBPbBipVYCs0NUE
9. CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/02/motel.ricin.ap/index.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. Riverton residents return to homes, but search for deadly toxin continues - Salt Lake Tribune
11. ^ Man Wakes From Ricin Coma - Local News Story - KVVU Las Vegas
12. Man at center of Las Vegas ricin case arrested, charged
13. RICIN: Seattle Gay Bars Receive Threatening Letters http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/01/06/gay_bars_receive_threatening
14. Seattle Ricin-Threats May Have Been Sent By Gay Person http://www.queerty.com/seattle-ricin-threats-may-have-been-sent-by-gay-person-20090108/
15. Pair questioned over ricin find http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8086701.stm
16. Martin Wainwright (14 May 2010). "Neo-Nazi Ian Davison jailed for 10 years for making chemical weapon". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
17. UNK (28 JAN 2010). "Man arrested after ricin found in house". Crime & Courts MSNBC. Retrieved 2011-01-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

• Biological toxin weapons
• Deaths by poisoning