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Saturday, March 01, 2008

Update on Ricin in Las Vegas Hotel Room

[Update below] 3/2/08

Yesterday we showed you about a case where a man was in critical condition in Nevada after being taken to the hospital after suffering respiratory distress and later when his family member was packing up his belongings, Ricin was discovered (Ricin is a poison)

It seems the mystery deepens today with new reports, saying that as well as the Ricin discovered there were also firearms and an "anarchist type textbook", found in that hotel room.

Capt. Joseph Lombardo said at a news conference late Friday that the book was tabbed at a spot with information about ricin. Police found the firearms and books on Tuesday after a manager at the Extended Stay America motel called police upon discovering weapons, he said, without elaborating.


The only legal use for ricin is cancer research. A pinprick is enough to kill and according to police Deputy Chief Kathy Suey, "the manufacture of ricin is a crime."

Once again, this case is not being investigated as a terrorism type case, just a criminal investigation at this point, but the more they find out, the deeper the mystery into why this man had Ricin, what was his purpose in manufacturing it and what were his ultimate plans?

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin, we also see the man has been identified as Roger Von Bergendorff. The police did not identify the man but a Homeland Security internal document obtained by the Review-Journal, lists that as his name.

A statement from the Nevada Office of the Military states that 19 soldiers and airmen from the Nevada National Guard's 92nd Civil Support Team assisted Las Vegas police in the ricin investigation Thursday night. The team also assisted the Clark County Fire Department's hazardous materials team in the decontamination of the scene.

More at CNN.

[Update]
Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies evacuated houses in a two-block area in Riverton this morning while FBI agents search the home where Roger Von Bergendorff stayed.
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