Ricin Letter
Photographs
| Reward
Flyer | January
8, 2004 Press Release
Columbia,
South Carolina -- Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI), United States Postal Inspection Service,
and the United States Department of Transportation
(DOT), Office of Inspector General continue to offer
a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s)
responsible for introducing threatening letters
seeking the repeal of recently enacted federal regulations
concerning truck drivers' "hours of service".
On January 4, 2004, new federal regulations went
into effect mandating more rest and orienting drivers
toward a 24 hour work/rest cycle.
On October 15, 2003, a threatening letter was discovered
at a United States Postal facility in Greenville,
South Carolina. The author(s) of this typewritten
letter claimed that he or she was a fleet owner
of a tanker company and demanded that the present
laws regarding truck driver hours of service regulations
remain unchanged. A type written message on the
exterior of the envelope indicated "caution
RICIN POISON Enclosed in sealed container Do not
open without proper protection". Inside the
envelope was a small, metal vial which contained
ricin, a white, granular, potentially deadly poison.
The author(s) of this letter claimed to have the
ability to make large quantities of ricin and to
use this poison if the new hours of service regulations
were not repealed by January 4, 2004. The letter
was signed "Fallen Angel".
A second letter, addressed to the White House and
processed through a postal facility in Chattanooga,
Tennessee on October 17, 2003, contained similar
threatening language and was directed at the United
States Department of Transportation. This second
letter threatened to turn "D.C. into a ghost
town" if these new "hours of service"
regulations went into effect and was signed "Fallen
Angel". The author(s) of this letter claimed
that the powder on the letter was ricin. The substance
contained in the letter has been identified as containing
ricin.
Attached to this release is a photograph of the
exterior of the envelope processed by the postal
facility in Chattanooga, TN on October 17, 2003,
as well as, a photograph of the threat letter contained
in that envelope. Additionally, attached is a copy
of the reward flyer released on January 7, 2004.
Anyone with information concerning the identity
of the individual(s) responsible for authoring these
threatening letters is requested to contact the
FBI toll free at 1-866-839-6241.
