terrorists targeting denver ??

very interesting.. curiosity abounds whether the woman aprehended in afghanistan rolled on this operation. nevertheless, it's a sobering reminder that this world isn't full of puppy dogs and fields of lollipops..

http://cbs4denver.com/local/burnsley.hotel.death.2.793573.html

Man Dead, Large Amount Of Possible Cyanide Found

ReportingRick SallingerE-mail
DENVER (CBS4) ― It has the makings of international intrigue. Less than two weeks before the Democratic National Convention a man has been found dead in a Denver hotel room with a container of what authorities initially suspect to be the deadly poison cyanide.

Adding to the intrigue is that the dead man, Saleman Abdirahman Dirie, 29, appears to be from outside the U.S. No passport was found on Dirie, who is believed to have entered the country from Canada.

A large container of a white powdery substance was found in the man's room on the fourth floor of The Burnsley Hotel at 10th Avenue and Grant Street. Tests are now being done by the Denver Police Crime Lab to determine exactly what the substance is. The tests could take days.

It's believed Dirie died from something other than the substance that was in the container. Denver police are leading the investigation of the man's death. The FBI and other governmental agencies, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force, are assisting in the probe. Hazardous materials assistance has included the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado National Guard. "

Our Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in this simply because the victim here is from another country and it just kind of makes sense that our terrorism guys would take a look a look at this," FBI Special Agent in Charge James Davis said. Davis told CBS 4 that nothing so far has been found to link the case to terrorism or the coming convention.

"I don't see how anybody could do anything but look into the possibility that this is a potential terrorist attack," said Dr. Andrew Ternay, a Department of Defense contractor. Ternay has worked with the Pentagon for 25 years. He's published text books and written "The Language of Nightmares" which is a glossary of all things deadly, including cyanide.

"The very first thought that came to my mind was murder, or somebody who's got to kill an awful lot of rodents because years ago cyanide used to be used to kill rats and roaches," said Ternay. "A tablespoon would be enough to kill you. Less actually." Authorities said The Burnsley Hotel is safe and is open for business.

Cyanide can be made from plants in very small amounts. It can be a gas, liquid or powder. It prevents the body from using oxygen and therefore is more harmful to the heart and brain than other organs. "It was used in concentration camps in World War II and by Saddam Hussein against the Kurds in the 1990s," CBD4 Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida said. "And put it in a little capsule, it is in fact used as a suicide pill just like you see in the movies."

Officials said cyanide can be used as a terrorist weapon if it is dumped in water put in food, sprayed as a gas, or many other methods. Ternay said the question with cyanide is how pure it is. If the powder is only 10 percent cyanide, it is not nearly as lethal. Ternay said cyanide can be easy to get if you want a quarter of a pound.

Filling out some paperwork is all that is required to order it. Larger amounts of 50 pounds or more are tougher to come by. The investigation is continuing.