Man Who Possessed Toxin Ricin Identified

A motel patron hospitalized after possible exposure to the toxin ricin is "holding his own" in intensive care, his cousin said Saturday as investigators expanded their probe into why the strictly controlled poison was in the man's room.

Thomas Tholen told The Associated Press he didn't immediately want to say more about Roger Von Bergendorff or the discovery Thursday of several vials of ricin at Von Bergendorff's extended-stay motel room.

"He's a cousin and he's holding his own," Tholen, 53, of Riverton, Utah, said in a brief telephone interview. "He's just in the hospital in intensive care. I really don't want to say any more."

Police, the FBI and Homeland Security officials were trying to piece together how several vials of ricin - a rare deadly poison with no antidote - ended up at the motel several blocks off the Las Vegas Strip.

Adding to the mystery, police said late Friday that firearms, an "anarchist type textbook" and castor beans were found in the same room where the ricin was discovered.

FBI spokesman Juan Becerra said they have not yet searched a home where Tholen and Von Bergendorff reportedly lived. Officials have house secured while seeking court approval for a search warrant.

Police and health officials have repeatedly tried to assure Las Vegas residents that there is no public health threat. There was no apparent link to terrorist activity and no indication of any spread of the deadly substance, they said.

In recent years, terrorists have used ricin, reports CBS News correspondent Drew Levinson. In 2003, the Secret Service intercepted an envelope filled with the substance that was addressed to the White House. It was also found in the Senate mailroom and a postal facility in South Carolina.

Authorities have not said how much ricin was involved, but expressed confidence they have it all.

"At this time, there is no indication of any threat to the public or individuals residing in the (Salt Lake) area," said Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Fuhrman.

Police Capt. Joseph Lombardo said the firearms and the book, which was tabbed at a spot containing information about ricin, were seized Tuesday after manager at the Extended Stay America motel found the weapons and called police. He did not elaborate.

Sgt. John Loretto, a police spokesman, said Saturday the department was not immediately releasing more information.

Police previously said tests did not detect the material in the motel office, the room where Von Bergendorff stayed, or a room at the Excalibur hotel-casino where where Tholen stayed Wednesday night.

Tholen brought the vials to the motel office in a plastic bag while retrieving Von Bergendorff's belongings from the motel room, authorities said.

As little as 500 micrograms of ricin, or about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The only legal use for ricin is cancer research.

Health officials were still trying to confirm whether Von Bergendorff's respiratory ailment stemmed from ricin exposure, said Dr. Lawrence Sands, chief health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas police, who have refused to identify Von Bergendorff or Tholen by name, said Friday the hospitalized man was unconscious and that investigators had been unable to speak with him.

They have said Von Bergendorff's relative, Tholen, arrived in Las Vegas after Von Bergendorff summoned an ambulance and was hospitalized Feb. 14 in critical condition.

Tholen contacted motel management Feb. 22 to inform them about pets in the room, and Las Vegas Humane Society officials took custody of a dog and two cats. The dog, which officials said was mortally ill after going at least a week without food or water, was euthanized.

After the vials were brought to the motel office, Tholen and six other people, including the motel manager, two motel employees and three police officers, were decontaminated at the scene and taken to hospitals for examination. None have shown any signs of being affected by ricin, officials said.