Deadly ricin at Paris rail station
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Ricin was also found in England earlier in the year.
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PARIS, France (CNN) -- Small bottles containing traces of the deadly poison ricin were found in a Paris train station, French police said Thursday.
Officials said five suspicious bottles were discovered on Monday in a routine sweep of lockers at the Gare de Lyon, officials said.
Three of the bottles contained a yellow liquid, and two of those showed traces of ricin, which was mixed with other products to make a "highly toxic poison," a source in the French counterterrorist services said.
The other two bottles contained an unidentified powder. Results of chemical testing on the bottles were released Thursday. No information was released about the powder.
The counterterrorist source said the bottles were encased in a kind of plaster mould, probably to protect them if they were being carried. The mould and the bottles were inside a red plastic bag, the source said.
The earliest the bottles could have been placed in the locker was Friday as locker sweeps by rail employees take place every three days.
Gare de Lyon serves southern France, Italy and Switzerland.
Ricin is a deadly poison made from castor beans which, if inhaled, swallowed or injected, can cause severe shock or death because it suppresses breathing. There is no known antidote.
Eight people were arrested in London in January after police raided two apartments in the city and found traces of ricin and equipment to produce the toxic agent.
--- CNN State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel, Senior International Correspondent Sheila MacVicar, Senior Producer Henry Schuster and Consultant Claude Moniquet contributed to this report
