'Potential presence of ricin': FBI takes over Mpls. hazmat probe
The Minneapolis FBI office said Wednesday it's opened an investigation into the material found Tuesday in a Minneapolis apartment building, where lab tests have indicated the "presumptive potential presence of ricin."
Authorities had evacuated residents of The Marshall in Dinkytown for several hours Tuesday while a hazmat crew quarantined one of the apartments.
A preliminary test of some of the material found in the apartment "indicated the presumptive potential presence of ricin," the FBI said Wednesday, adding that the evidence will be sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., for further testing.
Ricin is a biological toxin, considered a weapon of mass destruction. It's found naturally in castor beans and can cause harm if the beans are chewed or swallowed.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, say it "would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people."
The FBI said it's working now to determine how a woman in the apartment came into contact with the material. The initial investigation shows the woman, who was taken to the hospital, "likely did not come into contact with the material in a random fashion, meaning she may have been intentionally handling the material," the agency added.
Officials believe that there is no risk to the public given that it was confined to a single apartment and that "it was likely not being used for any criminal activity."
Correction (May 9, 2019): An earlier version of this story misidentified The Marshall apartment complex affected by the evacuation.