Wed Jan 8,12:04 AM ET

By Sinead O'Hanlon

LONDON (Reuters) - Britons, readying for possible war with Iraq as reserve troops were mobilized, were troubled by fears of a battle at home on Wednesday after the seizure of the deadly toxin ricin sparked fears of a looming terror campaign.

Anti-terrorist police said they were questioning six north African men after seizing a small amount of the lethal poison in raids in north London at the weekend.

As security agents worked to establish whether any of the toxin had been distributed around Britain or abroad, doctors and hospitals around the country were put on alert for symptoms.

News of the find came in the same hour the government announced the call-up of reserve troops for possible war with Iraq, although it insisted military action was not a foregone conclusion.

But that announcement was overshadowed as the specter of a different kind of war on the home front dominated headlines and the minds of ordinary Britons.

"Something like this ricin find scares me far more than thinking of our boys off fighting on foreign soil," IT worker Andrew Simpson, 30, told Reuters during an informal vox pop.

"But we are used to threats in London. The price of living in a major financial center is that you are a huge target." more

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Answers

Wednesday, 8 January, 2003, 11:27 GMT Three more sought in ricin hunt The parade of shops underneath the site of the raid The raided flat was above shops in Wood Green Britain's anti-terrorism police are looking for three more people in connection with the discovery of the deadly poison ricin in a north London flat.

Six men - understood to be Algerians - were arrested on Sunday and security experts are trying to establish if they have links to al-Qaeda.

Only small traces of ricin were found in the operation - launched after a tip-off - but there are concerns an amount of poison could have been made at the flat and has been moved.

Ricin poison Tiny amount can kill No known antidote Causes gastroenteritis, vomiting and seizures More details on ricin poisoning Security sources said police were now looking for three more "key individuals" in connection with the case.

Tony Blair said the arrests showed the continued threat of international terrorism was "present and real and with us now and its potential is huge".

Castor oil beans - from which ricin is made - and equipment and containers for crushing the beans were found at the Wood Green flat where one of the men was arrested.

Doctors around the country have been alerted and told to look out for symptoms of ricin poisoning. more

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Poison gang sought asylum By Justin Davenport and Dick Murray, Evening Standard 8 January 2003

Terrorists posed as asylum seekers to get a London flat which they turned into a poison factory, it has emerged.

Two 17-year-old youths claiming their right to be housed by the local council were given the flat above a chemist's shop in Wood Green. Then it is believed a gang moved in to make a batch of the poison ricin with the intention of spreading terror in the capital.

Three members of the gang are being hunted in the biggest police operation of its kind following a raid on the flat, where traces of the poison were found. Seven North African men have been arrested. Security was stepped up today around London Underground, the Prime Minister and other public figures, amid fears of a terrorist outrage.

The flat at the centre of the investigation was being examined "piece by piece" by forensic experts in protective clothing today.

Two youths have been living in the flat under the care of Islington council. One is an Ethiopian and the other is an Algerian. The Algerian's case remains unresolved twoanda-half years after he claimed asylum.

The pair were moved into the flat within days of the attacks on New York and Washington. Islington council said: "Two of the people arrested by the anti-terrorist branch in Wood Green have been placed in this accommodation under our obligation to provide support to destitute asylum-seekers.

"The people in question are young people over 16 but under 18 and we can't make any further comment about them. We will assist police in their inquiries as far as we are able."

Islington gained responsibility for the teenagers because, as unaccompanied minors, they must be cared for by local social services rather than the Government's National Asylum Support Service.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003