Man in US held for ricin
2005-06-06 16:41
Phoenix - A man has been arrested on a charge of possessing the deadly poison ricin, but authorities say they do not think he has any connection to terrorism.
Casey Cutler, 25, was arrested on Saturday after a man who was hospitalised complained that Cutler might have poisoned him with ricin.
Federal prosecutors said Cutler would be formally charged this week.
Police said the man in hospital, whose name was not released, showed no signs of exposure to ricin, but ricin was discovered in Cutler's possession when he was arrested on Saturday in a public place in Mesa.
Officials said he wasn't known to have any connection to terrorism, but gave no details on what or whom he might have been targeting.
Keith Bennett, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Phoenix field office, said: "This is an isolated incident."
According to the centres for disease control and prevention, as little as 500 micrograms of ricin, roughly the amount that fits on the head of a pin, is enough to kill an adult.
- AP