This story struck me as suspicious when it first came out a few months ago. It troubled me that a man carrying ricin in a heavily trafficked metro area wasn't up on some kind of terrorism charge. The Vegas police were making absurd statements like,"Von Bergendorff is not considered a criminal suspect." and "I don't want to make any conclusions with the
anarchist-type textbook. It doesn't make you a terrorist because you
have this type textbook. It doesn't make you a terrorist if you possess
firearms."
Firearms weren't even the issue, there was a little thing called ricin. Combine that with the firearms and anarchist cookbook and you have yourself a terrorist, or at least a suspect of terrorism.
MSNBC: A man who authorities believe was sickened by the deadly toxin ricin was arrested Wednesday on federal charges after he was released from a hospital.
Roger Bergendorff, 57, had been hospitalized since Feb. 14.
He is charged with possession of a biological toxin and two weapons offenses stemming from materials authorities said were found Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 in his room at an extended-stay motel several blocks off the Las Vegas Strip.
“He was released from the hospital and he’s in custody,” said Agent Joseph Dickey, spokesman for the FBI office in Las Vegas.
The three charges carry a possible penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a $750,000 fine. Bergendorff was scheduled appear Wednesday afternoon before a federal judge in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.
A six-page complaint alleges that Bergendorff obtained castor beans, from which ricin is derived, by mail in June 2002, and made ricin from them while living in the basement of his cousin’s house in Riverton, Utah.
Bergendorff’s cousin, Thomas Tholen, 54, was indicted earlier this month in Salt Lake City for allegedly failing to report that the substance was being illegally produced.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It's doubtful that Bergendorff wanted to kill people at random. Something that has been planned since 2002 probably has a political motive.
