A
reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest
and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for introducing a threatening
letter addressed to DOT containing the poison ricin discovered at a U.S. Postal
facility in Greenville, SC on October 15, 2003. The
author(s) of this letter claimed to be a fleet owner of a tanker company and demanded
that the present laws regarding hours of service regulations remain unchanged.
On January 4, 2004, significant new federal regulations went into effect mandating
more rest and orienting drivers toward a 24-hour work/rest cycle. Inside the envelope
was a small, metal vial which contained ricin. Typewritten
on the exterior of the envelope was the following warning:
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The
following is a representation of the language contained in the threat letter:
to
the department of transportation: I'm a fleet owner of a tanker company.
I have easy access to castor pulp. If my demand is dismissed I'm capable
of making Ricin.
My demand is simple, January 4 2004 starts the new hours of service for trucks
which include a ridiculous ten hours in the sleeper berth. Keep at eight or I
will start dumping.
You
have been warned this is the only letter that will be sent by me. Fallen
Angel | |