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Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003

The letter appeared to be connected to an extortion plot, government officials told The Associated Press.

"Based on the evidence obtained so far, we do not believe this is linked to terrorism but is related to threats criminal in nature," said Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Homeland Security Department.

Officials also said that the ricin did not pose a health threat to workers or the public.

The ricin on the outside of the letter was identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday night. It was discovered on a sealed envelope found last week in a postal facility in Greenville, S.C., said three government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The envelope also included a small, sealed container containing an unidentified substance that is currently being tested, the officials said. A letter also found inside indicated some sort of extortion plot.

Officials would not say why the envelope was singled out for inspection.

The FBI has repeatedly warned local police about the possibility that terrorists might use ricin, which is made from the castor plant, in an attempt to poison people through ventilation systems, drinking supplies or in food.

When it is inhaled or ingested, serious symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness and low blood pressure can occur within eight hours. Death can come between 36 and 72 hours after exposure, and there is no treatment.

British police earlier this year arrested seven members of an Algerian extremist group on charges of plotting to kill a small number of people with ricin to terrify the London population. Instructions for making ricin also were found in an al-Qaida safehouse in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to the FBI.

Ricin has also been used in crimes in the United States that have no connection to terrorism. Last summer a Washington man was convicted of making and possessing enough ricin to kill 900 people.

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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