BioterrorOhio man indicted on possession of deadly bioagent ricin
Jeff Boyd Levenderis, 54, of Akron, Ohio has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a false statement and for the possession of ricin, a Schedule 1 substance capable of being processed and employed as a biological or chemical weapon according to the Chemical Weapons Convention; Levenderis’ attorney has said that no evidence has been found that his client had ever intended to harm anyone
Castor beans, a source of naturally-occuring ricin // Source: cnn.com
Jeff Boyd Levenderis, 54, of Akron, Ohio has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a false statement and for the possession of ricin, a Schedule 1 substance capable of being processed and employed as a biological or chemical weapon according to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The United States first considered using ricin, a protein extracted from the castor bean, as a chemical/biological warfare agent during the First World War to coat bullets or shrapnel. In accordance with the Hague Convention of 1899, which prohibited the employment of poison or poisoned arms, the agent was never used.
Despite the agent’s extreme toxicity, it may not be considered very powerful in comparison to anthrax or botulinum, but its availability is its real threat (“Ricin: the most potent — and readily available — bioterrorism weapon” 21 April 2010 HSNW)
The FBI affidavit signed by the Ohio man says he wanted to see if he could make the deadly poison. The document also alleges that from as early as 1 January 2005 until 24 January 2011, Levenderis had ricin in his possession without reasonable justification and that when approached by the FBI, he claimed the biological toxin was “ant poison.”
Levenderis was arrested on 28 January after a container allegedly containing the agent was recovered from his former residence by FBI personnel, after being assisted by local public safety officials.
Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said that “The work done on this case by the FBI, Coventry Township Fire Department, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Hazardous Materials Team, Ohio Army National Guard, and other partners was extraordinary.”
Levenderis’ attorney has said that no evidence has been found that his client had ever intended to harm anyone.
The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Justin E. Herdman and Thomas E. Getz of the National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in Cleveland, with assistance from the Counter Terrorism Section of the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, in Washington, D.C.
Authorities said he will be kept under suicide watch in the Summit County Jail until his bond hearing on 15 February 2011.
