British Police Arrest 6 Men After Discovery of Ricin Poison

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 08, 2003

British Police Arrest 6 Men After Discovery of Ricin Poison

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Police said Tuesday they found traces of ricin -- a deadly poison twice as potent as cobra venom -- in a north London apartment and arrested six men of North African origin in connection with the virulent toxin that has been linked to al-Qaeda terrorists and Iraq.

London police said material seized at a flat in the Wood Green neighborhood on Sunday had tested positive Tuesday for traces of the toxin, tiny amounts of which can kill an adult. There is no antidote.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking to a meeting of British ambassadors, said the find highlights the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Ricin (pronounced RICE-in) is derived from the castor bean plant, which is grown around the world. The poison is relatively easy to produce, and Andy Oppenheimer, a chemical and biological weapons expert at Jane's Terrorism and Security Monitor, said its presence in London did not necessarily indicate a connection to any outside group or country.

In Washington, U.S. officials said no al-Qaeda links had yet been established to the London arrests, but that it was a matter being investigated.

Anti-terrorist police said they arrested the six men of north African origin under the Terrorism Act during raids in east and north London and seized "a quantity of material and items of equipment" at the Wood Green apartment.

Police did not identify the men and refused to specify what country or countries they were from, saying only that they were in their late teens, 20s and 30s. They were not immediately charged with a crime.

The British Broadcasting Corp. reported on television Tuesday night that the men were Algerian, but Scotland Yard refused to confirm that.

Source: Agencies

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