Memories of 2003 and the Senate Mailroom

Perhaps the most infamous use of the toxic substance in the United States occurred in 2003 when a letter addressed to the White House tested positive for a fine, white powdery substance at a United States Postal Service processing center in Greenville, South Carolina. The powder was positively identified as ricin, albeit low grade and not potentially a health risk. The incident was not made public until nearly three months later when the presence of ricin was discovered in the office mailroom of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Despite the discovery, there were no reports of any individuals experiencing medical issues due to exposure to the contaminated area. Nevertheless, several Senate office buildings were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure.

The high-tech gear worn during the German raid was because of this threat. As it turned out, an initial inspection of the premises showed no hazardous chemicals of this type at that location. Nevertheless, local police reported that the nature of the tip they received prompted them to act immediately. The information regarding the alleged plot is thought to have come from an allied intelligence agency, American, or the FBI. Further investigation will be conducted to determine if the urgent nature of the response was warranted.

In their periodical, the German tabloid newspaper Bild quoted security officials stating that the men intended to carry out their attack on New Year’s Eve but did not have the materials to act at that time. However, since then, they have supposedly acquired the necessary items to carry out their plan.

Although the suspect is an Iranian national, there is no evidence at this time that he was acting under orders of the Iranian government. Instead, he is believed to be a supporter of a minority Sunni extremist group in Iran. Nancy Fraser, the German Interior Minister, thanked German law enforcement for their swift and thorough investigation while emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in combating extremist threats. She added that 21 Islamic attacks had been prevented in her nation since 2000.

2018 Revisited

This incident is reminiscent of one five years ago when a Tunisian man and his wife were arrested and subsequently convicted in Germany of planning a ricin attack in the name of ISIS, or Daesh. The couple from Cologne plotted to use ricin seeds and 250 steel balls to make a bomb using directions transmitted over the internet by ISIS. They had gone as far as carrying out test explosions of their device to ensure it would work when the time for the real thing came. Fortunately, they were stopped before that could happen.