http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2636153.stm (BBC News)
'Most important find since 11 September'
Frank Gardner
BBC security correspondent
Government sources say that this was an intelligence led operation and that it was done through tip-offs.
It was a joint operation with the security service and the Metropolitan Police and of course, it has got major health issues attached.
The six men who are under arrest are north African.
Of course, one line of inquiry for the police will be of any possible links with al-Qaeda, although investigations are continuing.
The quantities of poison that were found are quite small, it was traces of ricin.
Ricin is a very toxic poison which was used some years ago by Bulgarian secret agents to assassinate a dissident in London by injecting a pellet.
It is a contact poison which means that if you touch it and it is ingested into the skin then you die. It also affects you if you inhale it.
With the quantities of ricin found it is not thought that it was necessarily a chemical bomb that was going to be detonated.
But still, it is an extremely serious poison and of course it is raising all sorts of questions about what people planned to do with this.
Psychological damage
Possibilities are being looked at such as was it going to be smeared onto doors, onto some area where lots of people would touch it?
It would not, in this form, necessarily kill a lot of people, but the psychological damage would be enormous.
This is the most significant find of poisonous materials in Britain since 11 September 2001 in relation to terrorism and possible attacks on Britain.
So it is very important, even though the actual volume was relatively low this is a very significant find.
Serious chemicals
This was what would be called a 'specific threat'.
For example, when we had the London Underground scare there was no actual specific threat. In this case there really was - these are serious chemicals.
Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have made a strategic decision in the last few months that Britain is a legitimate target for them.
Initially they wanted to target America and Israel.
They have broadened that to Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Australia - countries which they see as being part of the US-led coalition in the War on Terror that is targeting Muslims.
When the British government or various agencies have issued these often rather garbled, confusing and slightly hyped-up warnings about non-specific threats they are in a way covering themselves.
They see so much intelligence, some of it true, some of it false about possible attacks on Britain and Europeans using poisonous chemicals they feel they then have to make a warning.
Also, from the pdf document at
http://www.phls.co.uk/topics_az/deliberate_release/pdf/ricin_guidelines.pdf
Ricin is a toxalbumin extracted from the beans of the castor oil plant. It
inhibits protein synthesis causing cell death.
• Accidental poisoning with ricin has occurred following ingestion of castor
oil seeds. Although ricin is poorly absorbed following ingestion, one to
three beans chewed by a child, or as few as eight seeds chewed by an
adult may be fatal.
• Ricin has been considered as a potential chemical warfare agent.
Although non-volatile, aerosols may be inhaled.
• Ricin is particularly toxic if injected. The fatal dose by injection is thought
to be around one microgram per kilogram body weight.
Summary of Human Toxicology
• Onset of symptoms may be delayed after absorption via any route.
Fever is common. Death may be due to multi-organ failure.
• Ingestion typically causes irritation of the oropharynx and oesophagus,
and gastroenteritis.
• Irritation and conjunctivitis may occur. Miosis, mydriasis and optic nerve
damage have been reported.
• Bloody diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
• Pulmonary oedema, pneumonia and ARDS.
• Seizures and CNS depression.
• Fluid loss may cause tachycardia.
• Allergic responses have been reported following exposure to castor oil
beans.
• Abnormal liver function tests, including raised transaminases occur.
• Haematuria, proteinuria and elevated creatinine.
Personnel must not enter a contaminated area without full personal
protective equipment including respiratory protection.
Triage
• Primary (first look) triage should be carried out using the standard triage
sieve. As symptoms may be delayed few additional discriminating
factors are likely to be present.
Mass Decontamination
• Patients should be removed from the source of exposure. All the patients’
clothing and personal effects should be removed. Skin decontamination
should be carried out using a rinse-wipe-rinse regime with dilute detergent
(10ml washing up liquid to a 10 litre bucket of water).
• Contaminated clothing should be placed in clear, labelled, sealed bags to
prevent further contamination
• Casualties should subsequently don clean clothing e.g. paper suits.
• If eyes are exposed, remove contact lenses and irrigate thoroughly with
running water or saline for 15 minutes.
• Casualties exposed only via ingestion do not require whole body
decontamination.
Treatment
• Treatment is symptomatic and supportive. No antidote is available for the
treatment of ricin poisoning.
• Allergic reactions should be treated conventionally.
Admission Criteria
• Symptomatic patients should be admitted.
• Patients who are thought to have ingested ricin should be admitted for
observation.
• Patients who are thought to have ingested ricin and remain asymptomatic
after eight hours may be discharged.
• Patients who are thought to have been exposed by aerosol should be
admitted for observation, even if asymptomatic.
• Patients who are thought to have been exposed by aerosol and remain
asymptomatic after 24 hours should be discharged.
They have broadened that to Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Australia - countries which they see as being part of the US-led coalition in the War on Terror that is targeting Muslims. This will be Al Qaeda's undoing. Instead of fighting a two-front war against the U.S. and Israel, which all our "allies" (except our one true ally, Britain) have baldly demonstrated they don't want any part of, AQ is opening over a dozen fronts, and racking up the number of powerful nations seeking to destroy them.
This sort of unfocused violence puts AQ in the category of "mad dogs", instead of "freedom fighters". As their list of enemies multiplies, their support, even from the most diehard of Saudis (after AQ starts bumping them off), will eventually evaporate.
The only ones cheering for Al Qaeda will be those who support senseless, random murder. Even Arabs have limits to how much of that they will support. They prefer murder for a reason of some kind. As AQ becomes more random and threatens more and more groups, they dilute their support base.
Al Qaeda isn't even good enough to be classified as a virus. It's an evolutionary dead end.
Like the dodo, they will be hunted to extinction.