[united1999]

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."

Lombardo said the "area of concern" is under quarantine and is going through a decontamination process. All seven people have been decontaminated.

The discovery of ricin alarms law-enforcement agencies because authorities in several countries have investigated links between suspect extremists and ricin.
"This is not a terror incident at this point," Lombardo said.

He said the results are presumptive and won't be official until early Friday.

Ricin is a toxin that can be made from waste left over after processing castor beans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The toxin can come in the form of a mist or pellet and can be dissolved in water or weak acid, according to the CDC. The agency also says the toxin works by getting inside the cells of a person's body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need.

As little as 500 micrograms -- an amount the size of the head of a pin -- can kill an adult. It is not yet known how much of the material was found in the room.

Lombardo said authorities found castor beans in the room and also powder in a small vial. He said ricin is not illegal to own, but is illegal if processed to be used for poisoning someone.

There have been other reported cases involving ricin in the United States. In January 2005, an Ocala, Florida man with no known ties to terrorists or extremists was arrested by the FBI after agents found ricin in the home he lives in with his mother.

Ricin was found in February 2004 in the mailroom of the Dirksen Senate Office building in Washington. The mailroom handles correspondence addressed to several U.S. lawmakers.




I wonder who was the target person?????