Student From Bethesda Charged With Possessing Deadly Powder Ricin at Georgetown

The deadly toxin ricin has been found in a Georgetown University dormitory, and a student has been charged with creating the powder.

Daniel Harry Milzman, 19, of Bethesda, is facing federal charges after he informed his residential advisor that he had created ricin and showed the advisor a plastic bag containing what he claimed was the substance, according to court documents cited by The Washington Post.

Georgetown University officials said in an e-mail there was no danger to the school community and that nobody was sickened. Victims present symptoms within 24 hours of exposure, and the powder was discovered on Tuesday.

University officials said tests did not find the toxin in any other part of the dorm, McCarthy Hall, which houses about 290 students. The school hired contractors to clean the dorm room where the ricin was found. The dorm has reopened, the Post reported.

Ricin is a poison relatively easy to manufacture and has been sent to President Obama and other officials on several occasions. It can cause respiratory failure and organ dysfunction.