Jennifer K. Woldt

Oshkosh Northwestern Media

A University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh student became the focus of an investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation after two university professors suspected he was manufacturing ricin, a deadly toxin extracted from castor beans.

According to the affidavit in support of the search warrant, two university professors raised concerns to campus police about the 21-year-old student due to questions and statements about extracting the toxic protein from the plant.

The student approached a professor before an organic chemistry lecture on Oct. 29 and was asking questions about making extractions from seeds. The professor told the student he should consult with a biology professor and the student said, "They are all interested in life and I am interested in, like, ending it," according to the search warrant filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court.

Oshkosh police closed off a four block area around 803 Frederick St., where the student lived, while they executed a search warrant Friday afternoon. The FBI was called in to help with the investigation. A white powder and lab notebook were seized during the probe, according to the search warrant which was filed Monday morning.

The man was taken into custody Friday afternoon for recklessly endangering safety. The Northwestern is not identifying him because criminal charges have not been filed.

Ricin is a toxic poison that infects human cells and blocks their ability to synthesize protein, causing human organs to shut down and eventually causing death. Authorities have released only very limited information about the investigation, and declined to discuss the search warrant.

"It's an ongoing investigation so there is not a lot of information that we can address at this point," FBI spokesman Leonard Peace said Monday. "The items seized from the home have been flown to our FBI lab in Quantico, Va., where it is undergoing analysis."

Peace said he could not provide a timetable for how long the analysis would take. The warrant provided the first details on the substance and how authorities learned about the student's activities.

A professor in the biology department told UWO Police Chief Joseph Lemire that he had met a group of students at a restaurant and was making small talk with the suspect, who told him that earlier in the day he spent time extracting "ribosomal-inhibiting protein," which the professor recognized as a potentially deadly poison.

The suspect said he was making this compound in his house, "just to have it," and that he was not able to say what organism he was using as a source material because what he was doing was "borderline illegal" and would fall under the classification of a "biological weapon," according to the affidavit.

A man who lived with the suspect at the Frederick Street residence confirmed to police that the 21-year-old was growing three castor bean plants in the backyard.

A spokesman for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh said the university is not able to comment on the incident at the instruction of the FBI. Authorities have said there was no threat to the public at any time during the investigation.

An Oshkosh police spokesman said the department was following protocol when it called the FBI for assistance after discovering hazardous materials in the residence.

It is unknown whether the man will face charges at the federal or state level. Winnebago County District Attorney Christian Gossett said a decision could be made Tuesday. The suspect remains in custody at the Winnebago County Jail.

Jennifer K. Woldt: (920) 426-6676 or jwoldt@thenorthwestern.com; on Twitter, @ONW_Woldt.