Associated Press - Arab News

WASHINGTON, 4 February 2004 — A white powder found in Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s office tested yesterday as the deadly poison ricin, forcing cancellation of most US Senate business in the second such scare from a lethal toxin to hit the capital.

Between 40 and 50 Capitol employees were quarantined briefly and decontaminated, said Senate aides who spoke on condition of anonymity — considerably more than originally thought.

Although more tests were being conducted, Frist said he was positive the substance was ricin and officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said several of their tests identified it as ricin. They said they were awaiting the results of additional confirmatory testing. The CDC officials said they were somewhat reassured because none of the people who were quarantined and decontaminated turned up sick.

President George W. Bush was briefed on the situation, and the administration established an interagency team to investigate what Frist told colleagues was a chilling crime. Although Senate leaders made a show of conducting business as usual, they later canceled all votes that had been scheduled for the day.

In Wallinsgford, Connecticut, a postal worker at a center where anthrax was found in 2001 found an unidentified powder in an envelope addressed to the Republican National Committee, officials said. Inspectors and health officials were investigating the gray, sandy powder found leaking out of an envelope at the Wallingford postal sorting center late Monday.