THREE STAFF TAKEN ILL (Russia alert - Moscow)

sky news ^ | Last Updated: 17:56 UK, Tuesday February 10, 2004

[gdyniawitawa]

THREE STAFF TAKEN ILL

Police are checking one of BP's offices in Moscow after three female workers fell ill when they opened a bag of letters.

Officers in the Russian capital said the employees "got sore throats, their eyes watered and one of them got red spots on her skin".

A police spokesman added: "They packed the letters back in the bag and called emergency workers and chemical experts, who are now studying the letters."

Russia's Emergencies Ministry said it had sent experts to BP's oil trading office.

It was not clear what caused the employees to feel ill.

But a company source, confirming the basic facts, said the office had continued to work normally throughout the incident.

BP owns half of Russia's third largest oil company TNK-BP.

However, its trading department, which lifts substantial volumes of oil from the country, is independent from the joint venture.

[Sacajaweau]

btt

[cmsgop]

Red Spots???????

[Ophiucus]

Gee...that lone angry white male gets around.

[livius]

Any ideas? I don't think ricin does this, but are there other seriously toxic substances that are immediately irritating?

Also, I wonder if we'll get a follow up on this, or whether the Russian gov. will bury it.

[cmsgop]

No, sounds weird to me, I posted it to the Terror Thread

[genefromjersey]

What the heck is the name of that rocket propellant ...OK,got it: hydrazine or hydrazide .

Hydrazine (think that's the correct name) was used in an attempt to intimidate the courts in Luxemburg last year. Some police officers were hospitalized.The mailer had something to do with al-Qaeda,and the court was trying some al-Qaeda defendants.

[genefromjersey]

Just a quick follow-up: There were 10 letters,laced with hydrazine (rocket fuel,insecticide ingredient,industrial chemical) and phenarsazine chloride ( arsenic derivative used in rat poisons and/or nerve gas).

The court in Brussels had 23 al-Qaeda suspects on trial at the time.

The letters were traced to an Iraqi national,who was arrested.