A white powder, which preliminary tests indicated could be the deadly substance ricin, was discovered Monday in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. A government official said further tests were being conducted at Fort Detrick in Maryland, with more definitive results expected by Tuesday.
| The Capital Police are press conferencing on Fox News right now. It appears the stuff is ricin. It doesn't look like there are any casualties. If it is, I'd expect there would be a lot more packages mailed out... |
The powder was found in an envelope in Frist's office suite on the fourth floor of the Dirksen building, one of three structures occupied by senators and their staffs, said a congressional source. Sgt. Contricia Ford, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, said authorities were conducting more extensive tests. The Homeland Security Department is monitoring the situation, spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said. Police found traces of ricin in a north London apartment last January and arrested seven men of North African origin in connection with the virulent toxin that has been linked to al-Qaida terrorists and Iraq.
| If this turns out to be really, truly positive, I'd expect North Africans to be behind it... |
A package containing ricin was also found at a post facility serving Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina in October. |