Suspected terrorists in London tried to buy half a tonne of toxic chemicals in an attempt to launch a deadly poison attack, it has been claimed. The group allegedly tried to obtain 500kg of saponin, but their plan was thwarted when the suppliers became suspicious about the size of the order and contacted the police, the Financial Times reported. Attempts to buy the product from Amersham Biosciences were allegedly made in autumn 2002 by a firm giving a London post office address. Saponin can be used to enhance the transmission of molecules through biological cell membranes.
According to the FT, experts said the would-be purchasers might have thought they could mix it with ricin or other toxins to cause widespread poisoning by smearing it in public places. But there was uncertainty over whether this would have worked, with Jonathan Tucker from the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute saying he doubted it was possible to absorb the large protein molecules of ricin through the skin. Lennart Arlinger, business development director of Amersham, said research showed the group trying to buy the goods was funded by the "Islamic community". He said they had claimed they wanted to use the saponin as "a fire retardant on rice intended for human consumption". Scotland Yard was unable to confirm any details of the reported plot. |